The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane
by Marvey4
Summary: He saved his world by sacrificing himself. His tale, however, isn't over yet. Sent on a new world, he now has a second chance to live as a mage of Fairy Tail. Rated T for some swearing and minor violence. Any pairings are undecided yet. ON INDEFINITE HIATUS!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback  
><em>  
>The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane – Prologue<p>

_Edited on July 30__th_

"Gah!". Naruto gasped, feeling the air leaving from his lungs as he crashed on the side of the mountain.

"Shit! One more time!" He said as he dropped into a fighting stance again.

"It's pointless." The masked man known as Tobi said in his taunting voice.

"Screw you!" The blond said as he made his signature hand signs.

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" He yelled as three clones appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The clones dropped into a fighting stance as well and dashed towards the masked man.

"I said it's pointless Uzumaki." Tobi said as he used his Jikūkan Idō technique to dodge the clones and proceeded to dispel them with his fists.

"Gotcha!"  
>Tobi turned to see Naruto dashing towards him with great speed, a Rasengan already on his right hand.<p>

"Shit."  
>"RASENGAN!"<p>

The sphere collided, sending Tobi through the forest, causing a big explosion. Naruto barely stood as he was waiting for the dust to settle.

"Is it finally over?" He said to no one. The blonde's eyes suddenly widened.  
>'No way.'<p>

Suddenly he fell on his knees, struggling to breathe.

"I have to admit, the Uzumaki Clan never ceases to amaze me. Your mother survived after having the Kyubi extracted from her and now you have managed to wound me, even after your encounter with Sasuke. But all of this doesn't matter, because once I extract the Kyubi from you and complete the Jubi, it'll be the end for the Elemental Countries."

Naruto cursed as he saw Tobi slowly approaching without any scratch.

'Shit! When did I fall in a Genjutsu?'

"Not even your pet fox can save you this time Naruto. I made sure of that. And to make sure that everything will go according to plan, KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!"

Naruto managed to raise his head as he came to the sight of the Gedo Mazou Statue, the eyes having healed after it absorbed the Hachibi's entire chakra. In a instant, the blond was tied by chakra chains.

'So it has come to this huh? Sorry Baachan, Kakashi-Sensei, Bee-Oji. Guess I'll have to use that.'

"Gedo Mazou, begin extraction of the Kyubi no Kitsune!"

Naruto closed his eyes as he felt Kurama's life force leaving his body.

'Naruto, don't tell me you are going to use that technique.' Kurama asked the blond shinobi who had started concentrating.

'I got no choice Kurama. This time the bastard got the best of me. I know I promised that I will only use this as a last resort but it looks like this is the time.' Naruto thought.

"Hahahaha! It's finally begun! The path to true immortality! No one can stop me now!"

"Guess again!"

"What?"

Tobi looked for once with a horrified expression as the tied form of Naruto started channeling a red and purple aura around him, determination evident on his face.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"This is a technique that the Bijuu entrusted me with when I talked with them. Tentai Fūin! Kai!"

Suddenly the Gedo Mazou Statue started collapsing, the eight eyes that indicated the sealed biju bleeding while slowly closing.

"No! The statue! What are you doing foolish child?"

Naruto looked at his enemy with a smile on his face.

"It's quite simple", he said "I'm releasing the biju's chakra from your control, thus destroying the statue. With that technique, they will finally be able to go back to their place close to the Rikudo Sennin, together as one again. In addition, I can revive the last jinchuriki of each biju on the condition that their bodies are close enough to the sight of the seal when it's activated. And since you kindly brought your six paths of Pain here and Bee-Oji's body is nearby too, I will be able to give my fellow jinchuriki a chance to have a normal life without being scorned for their burden." The blond said as he smiled at the masked man.

"This is outrageous!" Tobi said as he was filled with rage "When did you create such a technique? Zetsu or Kisame should have records about that."  
>"Because this is the parting gift that Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei and Gyuki left for me as they were freed. All I need for this jutsu is knowledge of every biju's name and part of their chakra."<br>"Fool! If you continue this technique you'll die too!" Tobi yelled at the blond as fear got the better of him.

"Anything it takes. Anything to save everyone from the endless circle of hatred."  
>"You are naïve Naruto. Even if you beat me, another war will soon break up. As long as the shinobi system exists, peace will be unobtainable. You will just postpone the destruction of your beloved village."<br>"You are wrong. I have faith in the hidden villages. Tsuchikage-ojisan, Gaara, A-san, Mizukage-san and Tsunade-baachan, as well as every shinobi that took part in this war. I can see the good in them. A new world is coming. And I'm going to protect it. I haven't given up hope yet. Even if my body is turned to dust, I will defeat you Tobi!"  
>"DAMN YOU UZUMAKI!"<p>

The Gedo Mazou exploded, destroying the entire valley in the process. As Naruto was thrown back from the force of the explosion he thought, 'Hehe, I did it. Sensei, Nagato, Otochan. The war is over. Now the world will finally have peace.' And as he lost consciousness, he had a peaceful expression on his face, his quest accomplished.

* * *

><p>Naruto opened his eyes. He was surrounded by utter darkness.<br>'Is this the afterlife?' He thought. 'I can't see or hear anything. There is only darkness. It feels… empty. Like nothing's happening around. I can't…keep…my eyes…opened.'  
>"Wake up, Uzumaki Naruto."<br>"What?"

Naruto opened his eyes again. This time he was engulfed in pure light. There was a blurry figure in front of him. He could distinguish that the figure had long, spiky hair, a dark cloak and a necklace with six, red magatama. The most notable thing, however, was the figure's eyes. They were light purple with four ripples around the pupil.  
>'A necklace with six, red magatama? And the Rinnegan? It can't be…'<br>"The Rikudo Sennin?"  
>"Rikudo Sennin? Yeah, I believe that's how people called me when I was alive. It's been so long though."<br>"Wait. If you are the Rikudo Sennin, then that means I'm dead too? It is obvious that I am not anywhere in the Elemental Countries anymore."

"When the Gedo Mazou summon exploded, it destroyed the entire Valley of the End. The only people caught in the explosion were the masked man known as Tobi and you, Uzumaki Naruto. You can imagine the result."  
>"I see. I'm glad that we were the only casualties of this technique. That means I really succeeded. But where are we now? And what happened to him?"<br>"Tobi has already been punished for the crimes that he committed against the world of the Shinobi by disappearing from the face of the universe. He disappeared and can never be brought back in any way. You, on the other hand, sacrificed yourself to save your world and, by fulfilling your role as the third child of prophecy, you ended the circle of hatred. And because of your selfless actions, you have been given a second chance to live. I can send you to a different world, where you will be able to live a normal and peaceful life. I must warn you, though; it is most likely that there will be some changes to your body so that it can adapt to this world's environment. But you won't lose your memories, that I can assure you."  
>"A different world where I will no longer be considered just a jinchuriki? You mean like a different dimension?"<br>"That's what I mean. Are you ready now? All you have to do is just close your eyes. When you open them again, it will be like you just woke up from a dream."  
>"Ok. Before I go, can you please give a message to my parents and Jiraiya-sensei?"<br>"I can do that. What do you want me to tell them?"  
>Tell them… that I thank them. For everything. Without them I couldn't have done anything. Also, tell them that I'm glad that I met them."<br>"I will give your message to them."  
>"Thank you. I definitely didn't expect that the last shinobi that I will ever see is the first one that existed. I'm ready now."<br>And so the tales of the Gutsy Shinobi are over. But the tale of Uzumaki Naruto has just started a new chapter.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Thanks for reading. If you have any comments or criticism, feel free to review. Since this is my first story I'll accept flames. The only thing I'll ask is write constructive criticism about the story, don't just leave a review that says "your story sucks." For the record, English isn't my mother tongue. Also, in a few days my last year at my school starts so don't expect fast updates. I'll try to upload at least one chapter every week though.**

**Edit:**** Sorry for taking so long to rewrite the chapters. These past months have been hectic, with the exams going longer than expected and some house issues but I'll actually try and update sooner these weeks. The prologue is the only chapter that will undergo some changes. As for the other chapters, I'll probably just fix any errors that I made grammar-wise.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback  
><em>  
>The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane – Chapter 1<p>

_Edited on July 30__th_

Mount Ryurando was a peaceful place, isolated from the rest of the world. Very few people even knew of its existence as it was a sacred mountain on the south of Earthland. This is where the former jinchuriki and Shinobi of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto, appeared after his inter-dimensional trip from the Elemental Countries. It was truly a perfect place for the young sage to land. The noise that he made as he landed on the ground however caused some birds to fly away from the location.

"Ouch. Man that hurt. My whole body feels sore. Damn it Rikudo Sennin, you should have warned me about that.", he said as he was trying to get up. "I wonder in what kind of world he sent me. I already feel… different. I obviously can't feel the Kyubi anymore since I had already freed the Biju before the statue exploded. But why can't I even feel my chakra? It's something else instead. It feels similar, yet different. Closer to nature it seems. Or it's just this world"

As Naruto finally stood on his feet, however, he saw it. The biggest change in his body.  
>"What the hell? I look younger.", he yelled to no one in particular, "No. I look exactly the same I was when I returned from my training with Ero-Sennin. The only difference is that were the same outfit that I wore when I was in the war. Wait." he said as he suddenly brightened. "I remember them. I remember everyone. The Sage was right; I still have my memories from my previous life."<p>

The happiness that he felt at the memories of his loved ones was replaced by sadness. He would never see them again. To them he was dead now. And there wasn't even a body to bury because he didn't actually die.

"Well, pondering on the past won't get me anywhere now. Jiraiya-sensei wouldn't want me to get depressed over that, but to move on and get stronger to help the people and protect my loved ones." He then started stretching. "Ok, my body feels better already. Since I know nothing about this world, I might as well start looking around. This place doesn't look like it's close to any kind of civilization so I might as well get moving."

With that in mind, the former Shinobi started walking in this foreign place. Little did he know that his actions brought the attention of someone unique.

"Yosh. Let's go." He said with enthusiasm as he started looking around.

* * *

><p>After walking for what seemed like hours, the former shinobi started getting tired.<p>

"Man, this forest seems to be going forever!" he yelled to himself in an annoyed tone. "Every part of it looks the same. It's like I'm going in circles."

The former shinobi decided to take a break and sat on the trunk of a tree as he closed his eyes and took in the sounds of nature.

'I remember something that Sensei told me.' He thought as the image of Jiraiya came to his mind.

_If you ever lose your path while in the wilds, try to become one with Nature. Hear the sounds of the leaves as they get blown by the air, smell the scents of the flowers, feel the ground beneath you._ _Be one with nature and you won't get lost again._

Naruto opened his eyes as he smiled at the memory of his Godfather.

'Sensei.' He thought as he started meditating.

'Hear, smell, feel. Focus.'

The results were almost instant. The blond suddenly felt some sort of energy radiating through him to the forest. Like he was communicating with the earth itself.

'What's this feeling? It's unreal. It feels like nature chakra and yet it's something completely different.' He thought before he felt a much stronger force.

'Wait. What's that…'

The blond barely had time to get out of the way as a giant wind blast collided with the tree that he was standing, leaving only torn branches and leaves behind. He turned his attention to see who attacked him, only to come across the last thing that he expected to.

"A blue dragon?", he said blinking. "What's the deal with that?"  
>"You are good kid. You dodged my Tenryu no Hoko. And to think I was already curious as to who was the one who channeled this enormous amount of magic like he was shouting I'm right here. Turns out it's just a kid. What's your name?"<br>'Female.' He thought. 'Definately a female dragon. And she just threw a wind breath attack at me and then starts a conversation. This is so weird that it gives a new meaning to the word.'  
>"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name dragon lady?"<br>"I am Grandeeney, the Sky Dragon. That's a rather unusual name Uzumaki."  
>"That's my clan name. It means whirlpool."<br>"You clan name?" said Grandeeney as she was in deep thought. "Then that means your first name is Naruto."  
>"That's right. You said something about magic, right? Is that the energy that I feel inside me?"<p>

'That's certainly a rather unusual kid.' The dragon thought. 'He introduces himself with the way that people used to in the ancient times but he seems to know nothing about magic, even though he possesses a large amount of it. He seems to have potential yet he is totally unaware of it. It's a shame that he can't become a dragon slayer. He is too old for his body to adapt to the special training. He can become a formidable mage with proper training though.'

She had decided. She would take that kid under her wing for a year. She couldn't keep him for more, because that would mean trouble for both of them. It was forbidden for dragon to meddle in human affairs.

"Explaining magic and how it works isn't something I can just sit and teach you in an hour or two. Come with me kid. There are no signs of civilization for thousands of miles from this place, so it will be dangerous for a helpless child to venture alone. You'll live with me in my cave for a year where I'll teach you everything I know about magic. However, you will have to leave this place and never come back. It's forbidden for humans to be on this place. You are actually lucky that it was me who found you. Igneel or Metalicana might have already started chasing you if they were in my place."  
>"Yes ma'am. I understand"<br>'There it is again. That determination that I saw in his eyes before he noticed me. And he might try to hide it, but I see wisdom that it's impossible for a fifteen year old kid to have in his eyes. Interesting."

"Let's go Naruto"  
>"Right!"<p>

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Wow. I didn't expect this story to have so many hits in one day. 603 Hits, 9 Reviews, 14 Favs and 10 Alerts. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Also thanks to lightningblade49, my first reviewer.  
>Now, to make somethings clear. Some might be disappointed, but I don't plan to show what happened in the Naruto-verse after Naruto's disappearance. The prologue will be the only chapter that shows progress in the Elemental Countries. As for Naruto's powers, he is a mage now. That doesn't mean, however, that he won't use some of the techniques that he used as a Shinobi. Lastly to chm01 and hanipman; I revised the structure of the prologue. I hope it's easier to read now. Good night. Marvey out<strong>

**Edit:**** I added a scene in the revised chapter since it was too damn short. Not that it makes much of a difference "^^**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 2

_Edited on July 30__th_

A year has passed since Naruto appeared on Mount Ryurando. During that time he lived with the Sky Dragon Grandeeney. As she promised, she taught him about magic as well as the world that he currently was. According to the female dragon, this world was called Earthland and was divided into different kingdoms. She realized, to her amusement, that the blond couldn't understand anything from the scrolls and books that she gave him to read, so she had decided to teach him Earthland's language and traditions. To Naruto, all this felt like he was in the academy again. He was also disappointed when Grandeeney told him that he couldn't learn Dragon Slayer magic because he was too old for his body to adapt to the special magic. Thanks to her guidance, however, he was able to learn healing magic, which was part of her Sky Dragon Slayer magic, and master the wind element which bore similarities to the wind style manipulation. In addition, she had put him on a program to grow up normally because he was too short for his age which resulted in the former shinobi becoming as tall as the Hyuga prodigy Neji was in only one year. His physical appearance changed as well, making him look older and more mature due to his well built body and the total lack of the baby fat on his face. They also got to know each other. Grandeeney told him about her daughter Wendy and her sadness because she was forced to abandon her and not being able to be there for her. The blond promised the same day that he would find Wendy and protect her like a big brother, saying that he already saw the dragon as a mother. He trusted her so much that he told her about his past and everything that happened up until the moment when she found him near her home. To his surprise, the dragon believed him.

"It's not very often that kids fall from the sky." She told him when he finished his story.

So here he was now at the roots of the mountain with Grandeeney, ready to begin his journey. His attire was different from when he first appeared in Earthland. He was now wearing a black cape over his sleeveless black shirt, black wrist warmers and loose black pants tucked in leather boots. He also wore a black bandana with the Konoha symbol instead of his old headband and mask that covered half of his face like his old sensei Kakashi.

"Well, I guess this is it Grandeeney. I'm off to the Kingdom of Fiore. From what you've told me, Wendy is still there. She must be 8 or 9 by now if I'm correct so I don't think I will find many little blue haired girls that can heal any wound." The blond said.  
>"She is special, that's true. You are a good kid Naruto. I know you'll find my little daughter. One last advice; it will be easier to search for Wendy if you join a guild. You'll find more information there." Said Grandeeney.<br>"Thank you Grandeeney. For everything. I will find her. I never break promises. Goodbye."  
>He then turned and started flying towards the north, where the Kingdom of Fiore was. Grandeeney was waiting for the blond to disappear and then said "You were hiding all this time. How unusual of you to do something like that Igneel."<br>She turned to see a fire orb appearing from behind a giant rock.  
>"I was waiting for the boy to leave. This is certainly a twist of events. A human like him to appear on your doorstep Grandeeney, it's like someone sent the help that the kids need, don't you agree?" said Igneel.<br>"You are right." Said Grandeeney. "He is similar to Dragon Slayers without being one himself. He hasn't realized it yet, but he will play a big role in the things to come. All we can do for now is sit and watch."

* * *

><p>It was the second month of Naruto's journey and he was currently on the borders of Fiore. The trip through the southern lands was longer than he expected, so he took his time to understand the nature of magic by himself. Surprisingly, he found it easier to meditate in these forests than back in Konoha. To him it felt like the whole world was in tune with magic. He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the port from the distance as the sun rose.<br>'This must be Dargar Town. I'm currently on the east southern part of the country. It's a small city, so it will be more than enough for me to adapt here.' He thought as he landed on the ground. 'I think this town has a plaza at the center of it. I should probably head there first.'

* * *

><p>The blond had wandered around the port-town in order to see what a town in this country looked like. 'There aren't many differences between the cities here and in the Elemental Countries. Sure, this town is smaller than Suna or Konoha, but I suppose there are bigger cities as well.' He though while looking at the request board in the plaza. 'These missions kinda remind of the shinobi missions. There are the C and D rank missions like asking for waiters and taking care of gardens and the A and B rank missions like defeating bandits and stopping those vulcan creatures. But I suppose guilds have more difficult missions because the mages there are more reliable.' Suddenly he heard someone screaming.<br>"KYAH!"  
>"Someone's in trouble."<br>Instantly he sped up, running towards the source of the scream. He started jumping from building to building, stopping to see the cause of the scream. There was a girl around his age on an alley surrounded by three guys, one of them forming a fire ball on his right arm.  
>'Three thugs. At least one of them is a mage. I should take them by surprise.' He thought. He was about to attack when he heard the fire mage say "We are lucky guys. It's not every day that you find the heir to the Heartfilia family all alone. Her father is gonna pay big cash for his little daughter's freedom."<br>The other two guys laughed as Naruto thought for a moment 'Heartfilia family?' before he heard the girl whisper "Somebody… please… help."  
>He immediately jumped down to interfere when he saw that the mage fired the spell at the girl. He got in the middle in time to stop the fireball with his right hand. The thugs as well as the girl were surprised by the blonds' sudden arrival.<br>"Who is that guy?"  
>"He blocked the boss' fireball with one hand."<br>"Shut up you idiots." The mage who seemed to be the leader yelled. He turned to Naruto and asked with an angry expression "Who the hell are you? You are interfering with my fun."  
>The blond mage just looked at the thug with serious expression, trying to hold his anger in check. The thug, however, got easily frustrated and threw another fireball at him, yelling "I ASKED YOU WHO THE HELL ARE YOU." Naruto simply stopped the spell with his fist again like it was nothing.<br>"Big mistake pal." He calmly said. The other two thugs suddenly attacked the blond while unsheathing their magic swords.  
>"Don't mock our boss kid." They said.<br>"Look out!" the girl shouted.  
>She looked confused, watching the blond mage not moving while the thugs attacked him. They were shocked to realize that their swords just passed through Naruto like he wasn't there.<br>"Too slow."  
>Before they even had a chance to defend themselves, Naruto was behind them. He grabbed the man to his right and threw him to other thug. Almost instantly, he dashed to the colliding men and hit them straight to the chest with a right kick. He then used them as a leverage and charged at the leader of the thugs and punched him in the face, using the force to sent him through a wall.<br>"Wow." The girl exclaimed as she was staring at her masked savior in awe. Said mage turned to see the girl that he had just saved. She was blond and was dressed in a rather expensive set of clothes.  
>'No wonder why they tried to kidnap her.' He thought. 'She must be rich.' He approached the girl and asked while holding his hand "Are you ok?"<br>The young girl blushed from how close they were. She tried to suppress it and nodded while taking his hand and getting up.  
>'He sounds so young yet he looks strong.' She thought. 'Is that how a real mage looks like?'<br>"So you are ok? I'm glad." Naruto said. He looked at the defeated thugs and asked "So what exactly happened here miss…"  
>"Lucy. I was looking for my dad when those people attacked me. If you hadn't come who knows what could happen. Thank you." Lucy said as she bowed to the masked mage in graditude.<br>Naruto turned at his fellow blond and nodded. "You're welcome. I wouldn't let an innocent girl get hurt while I'm around. These guys had it coming anyway." He then looked at the street.  
>"So, did your dad tell you where to meet in case you get lost? I can drop you there if you'd like to."<br>"Pier 33." Lucy said. "It's pretty far from here. Are you sure you want to walk me there? I mean, you might business to attend to."  
>"Nonsense." Said Naruto. "I said that I'll take you there and I'll do it so that I am sure that you are safe. Besides" he said as he crouched, hanging his arms as if holding something on his back "no one said we would walk there. Come on, hop op."<br>"O-Ok."  
>Lucy then put her arms around Naruto's neck and hung on to his back while he caught her legs to make sure that she is comfortable.<br>"Sir, what is your name?" she said shyly.  
>"Naruto Uzumaki. Hold on tightly."<br>When he was sure that she was holding him tightly and that she wouldn't fall, he jumped high and started going from rooftop to rooftop, making the blond girl on his back to scream when she suddenly realized that they were travelling like ninjas. It was her first time after all.

* * *

><p>It took longer than Naruto originally thought to get to the docks but that was mostly due to the fact that the girl on his back had fallen asleep while they were travelling. 'She was attacked by bandits who wanted to hold her hostage. I don't blame her that she feels safe enough to sleep. It's a good think my senses are still as good as they were when I was a jinchuriki, otherwise I wouldn't have heard her. Or maybe they've become more intense.' He then looked at the sky before focusing again on the road. 'It's already night. I must find somewhere to rest after I drop Lucy to her place.' He noticed that there was a blond man waiting outside a boat near pier 33. From what could Naruto tell the man looked worried.<br>"Lucy." The man yelled. The young girl woke up when Naruto landed on the ground again and looked around sleepy. When she noticed the older man, she jumped from Naruto's back and ran to him.  
>"Papa!"<br>"Lucy you are ok. Thank goodness."  
>The father and daughter hugged as tight as they could like they feared that they would lose each other if they broke the hug. Naruto was just standing there, happy that he helped the family to get back together. They broke the hug and the older blond turned his attention to Naruto.<br>"Thank you for bringing Lucy back safely. I was worried when she hadn't returned but I couldn't go out and look for her. Could you tell me your name young man?"  
>"Naruto Uzumaki." Said the blond mage. "If you'll excuse me now sir, my job here is done. I have to go now."<br>He was about to leave so that he can find somewhere to stay for the night when Lucy said "Wait."  
>He turned to see her look… sad?<br>"Do you have to leave now?"  
>Both Naruto and her father looked surprised by this reaction. Naruto looked down and then back at her.<br>"Unfortunately yes. Don't worry though Lucy. We will meet again." He said with an eye smile. She looked at him with hope in her eyes.  
>"Promise?"<br>"Promise."  
>The blond then jumped again and disappeared into thin air.<br>"Bye Naruto." Lucy shouted as she waved her hand towards the direction that the blond mage disappeared.  
>'You better keep your promise kid. Lucy hasn't been so happy ever since Layla died.' Lucy's dad thought with a smile as he too was watching towards the blonds' direction.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Alright, before I continue, there are some things that I would like to say so that you say that I told you so. I'm in the last year of high school and it's a pain in the ass here in Greece. I have 9 hours of school and tutorial school every day, not to mention the hours that I have to spent to study and do my homework. I barely have time to relax, let alone write fan fiction. I'm not saying that I'll abandon the story, I'm definitely not going to do that. But I can't guarantee that I'll upload a new chapter every week. I hope I can do that though. Just don't ask in the reviews when am I going to update. Now that I got this off my chest, I'd like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed the story as well as those who put them on their alerts and favorites. Until next time. Marvey out.**

**Edit:**** As I said, these chapters are undergoing some rewriting since there were some errors. I don't know when will I have the time to rewrite the rest of the chapters and start on the new one, but I hope at least the rewriting will be over by the end of the week since I won't have access to my computer until August 5****th****. See ya later then ^_^**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 3

_Edited on July 30__th_

After the incident at Dargar Town Naruto started travelling around the country of Fiore, looking for his foster sister and helping those in need. He was acknowledged by the people due to the fact that he was doing missions without getting paid or helping even when there was no mission involved. On his third month in the country, he heard that he was given a nickname; he was now known as the Leaf Hurricane because of the leaf symbol on his bandana and the way he appeared and disappeared from the scene like a gale of winds. The fact that he always wore a half face mask and a bandanna, leaving only his eyes to be seen, in public was a boost to his popularity as well.  
>'Come to think of it, no one has seen me without the mask or the bandanna, so no one will recognize me if I don't wear them. I feel like I'm Kakashi-sensei.' The blond thought as he approached Jardian City. It was one of the biggest cities in Fiore, yet there was no Mage Guild since the city was close to Magnolia City where the Fairy Tail guild was. He had heard stories about the guild on his short journey and the blond couldn't help but praise the guys for their ability to destroy stuff during missions and then get away with it from the council. He even started to think about what Grandeeney told him and join the guild. He was so deep in thought that he almost bumped into someone. His shinobi training kicking in, the blond sidestepped with a spin so as to avoid the girl in front of him. However, he stopped on his tracks for a moment when he glanced at the girl. She was wearing a white long sleeved shirt with a breastplate, a white skirt and blue pants tucked into simple boots and a sword strapped in her belt. She had brown eyes and long scarlet hair tied in a low ponytail. The girl was looking at him as well.<br>'She looks familiar.' Naruto thought as the two teens stared at each other before both of them continued walking. He soon reached the city hall where there were high rank missions. As usual, the blond searched for the mission with the biggest prize.  
>'I need to take care of a group of bandits that prey on merchants outside the city. And there's a chance that dark mages might be involved. This sounds interesting.' What Naruto didn't know is how important this mission would turn out to be.<p>

* * *

><p>"Piece of cake." Naruto said as he threw one of the bandits to the ground. "I really need to join a guild. The people trust a guild more than freelance mages it seems. Now to tie those guys and send them to the mayor."<br>As he was tying one the bandits, however, he noticed a letter with a familiar sign.  
>'That's the symbol of the Dark Guild Raven Tail.' He thought as he inspected the letter. 'How are these guys here related to one of the most powerful illegal guilds?'<br>Naruto's intuition told him that there was something bigger going on. So he decided to open the letter. What he learnt was that the mages that he just fought were from a Dark Guild called Death Phantom, one of the guilds that were under Raven Tail. According to the letter, Death Phantom wanted to thank Raven Tail for informing them about the S Class Mage that was sent by the council to take down their guild.  
>'This is bad. This mage will walk right into a trap. This hasn't happened yet but I'm the only one that can do something about it.'<br>He didn't know why, but he felt that he had to help the S Class Mage. He turned his attention to the man that had the letter with him in the first place. He was one of the mages, so he definitely knew the Dark Guild's location.  
>"You! " He said as he grabbed the man from his collar. "Tell me where Death Phantom's base is."<br>"I'm not telling you fake mage." The bandit said between coughing.  
>"Trust me pal, you don't want to see me angry. Tell me where the base is or else you'll wish you were already dead." The blond said as his eyes turned white.<br>The bandits froze from fear at Naruto's last statement. He felt the blonde's killing intent surrounding him in an attempt to suffocate him.  
>"WHERE IS IT?" Yelled Naruto, losing his patience.<br>"Alright, alright." The bandit said clearly panicked. "I'll talk."  
>"You better tell me the truth scum." Naruto said as his eyes turned back to normal. "Or I'll come back for you."<p>

* * *

><p>'So this is Death Phantom's base. No wonder why they have that name.' thought Naruto once he found the Dark Guild's location. The guild was disguised as a graveyard with two grim reapers standing on both sides of the gate. He turned into wind and camouflaged himself with a breeze to enter the guild unnoticed. Thanking his luck for this unexpected help he easily reached the main hall, realizing why he felt the need to help the mage so much.<br>'It's the red haired girl from the city. She is the S Class Mage?' he thought surprised. The girl was moving fast, using various weapons that she summoned to take out her opponents. The blond then realized that a man was about to attack the girl from behind.  
>'She's wide open.' he thought. 'Time for my entrance it seems.'<br>Wasting no time, he rushed into action.  
>"TATSUMAKI! "<br>The redhead turned in time to see a tornado hitting a mage that was about to attack her from behind. To her surprise, the tornado turned into a masked guy. Swiftly Naruto dashed at another mage and send him through the wall with a high knee. In an instant he backflipped in order to dodge a couple of lightning spells that were thrown at him from the other side of the hall.  
>"KAZE BURE-DO!" he yelled as he started throwing wind blades towards the group of the mages that attacked him. He then landed on the roof and dashed at a big guy, punching him to the ground in the process.<br>"Hey Erza-san, it would be nice if you helped a little. It's your mission after all, isn't it?"  
>The young girl blinked for a moment before she realized that she was just staring at the masked guy doing the job that she was supposed to do.<br>'He's right.' She thought. 'This is my first S Rank mission. I must complete it myself.'  
>"REQUIP! FLIGHT ARMOR! "<br>Erza started glowing, blinding everyone in the hall. When the light dissipated, she was standing there in a new outfit, consisting of an armored cheetah-patterned top, with some bare armor protruding from the upper part of it, and some fur lining the lower edges, a pair of revealing black short, with a belt holding a cloth hanging over her left leg attached to them; the arms were covered by dark armbands reaching up just below her shoulders, with her left arm being protected by cheetah-patterned armor, consisting of a single pauldron and a wide arm guard. Her legs were covered in similar stockings reaching up to her thighs, with armored, asymmetric high-heeled boots over them with the left leg being the more armored one, with the boot reaching up to the knee, which was protected by a cheetah-patterned knee guard; the right leg, on the other hand, was covered by a boot only reaching up to part of her calf. The outfit was completed by a large collar around her neck and by a tail hanging from the back of her shorts, both made of bushy fur, plus a pair of large cheetah's ears adorning both sides of her head.  
>'Wow.' Naruto thought in amazement as he saw the redhead's outfit. Erza then summoned two rapier-like shortswords and charged at the stunned mages, taking them out with swift movements. The blond joined the battle again and soon the two were standing back to back looking at the almost defeated guild.<br>"Nice moves Erza-san." Naruto said as he dodged a mage's fist and uppercutted him.  
>"You are not bad yourself Mr. Leaf Hurricane." The girl said while taking out two guys at once with her swords. Before the blond could talk back, however, they heard the sound of clapping coming from the shadows. The two young mages turned their attention to the other side of the chamber to see two figures appearing from the shadows. They were both bald men but that was the only similarity they had, as the taller guy wore a leather jacket and pants and he had a black goatee while the shorter man wore a robe and he held a metal cane.<br>"Well, well. Look at why have here Gnipe." Said the shorter man with an arrogant expression.  
>"Titania of Fairy Tail and the Leaf Hurricane. It's understandable that those idiotic mages that were here got their asses kicked, right Master Elak?" Said the now identified Gnipe.<br>"How unlucky those brats are." Elak said. "This is will be their last mission."  
>"Last mission, huh?" asked the blond, his expression not changing. "Erza-san are you thinking what I'm thinking?"<br>"Perhaps." Erza said in a calm tone as well. "Why don't you go ahead with plan Hurricane-san and we'll see."  
>"Hurricane-san? The name's Naruto Uzumaki, remember it."<br>In an instant he appeared next to Gnipe.  
>"I'll be borrowing your goon Elak." He said casually as he caught the much bigger man and jumped to a different room with the dark mage on his side.<br>"Hey what the hell are you doing you bastard?" Gnipe yelled angrily as Naruto kept dragging him. "Let go of me damn it!"  
>"You asked for it." The blond said as he threw the dark mage through a wall in midair.<br>"KAZE BURE-DO!" he yelled as he threw a barrage of wind swords at the falling man. To the blonde's shock, the swords didn't damage him at all.  
>'No effect at all?' he thought. 'Is that his magic?' The blond dashed at the bigger man and punched him in the gut. As he expected, the bigger guy didn't even flinch.<br>"Hahahaha. That's it? That's all the great Leaf Hurricane is capable of?" Gnipe said as he started punching the blond. Naruto barely avoided the punch that ended up hitting the ground, leaving a big crater there as a result.  
>'I can't let those punches hit me. My natural durability won't help in this case.' The blond thought as he was jumping back to avoid the dark mage's punches.<br>"Come on, is dodging the only thing you can do?" Gnipe said while he was manically laughing.  
>'He must have a weak point. Focus Naruto.' The blond thought as he kept dodging. 'I found it!'<br>"If you are so confident, then why are you hiding your true form?" he said to the rampaging man.  
>"Oh? So you noticed? You are not as bad as I thought." Gnipe said as he stopped punching.<br>"Very well. I'll show my true form."  
>Slowly he started getting bigger and his skin became rock hardened.<br>"SEE THIS? THIS IS MY TRUE POWER! COWER IN FEAR WHILE YOU STILL CAN CAUSE I'LL DESTROY…"  
>The giant stopped talking as he felt something slashing him. He slowly turned behind to see the blond holding one of his wind blades.<br>"HOW? HOW DID YOU CUT MY ROCK SKIN?"  
>The blond looked the giant man with an indifferent expression.<br>"Normally my Kaze Bure-do is a long range attack. I can use it however as a single sword made of wind which has the strength of fifty blades in close range battles. Your Rock Skin was full of flaws as well. You barely have any resistance when you combine it with your Giant Form."  
>The giant man started getting smaller again.<br>"Damn… you Leaf Hurricane." He said before he fainted. The masked blond sighed before he went close to the man so that he could tie him.  
>"I take it your battle is over as well Erza-san?" He asked when he felt his temporary ally's magic approaching him.<br>"You could tell it was me from that far. That's impressive Naruto-san." The redhead said. The blond turned to see her completely unharmed and in her regular outfit again. "But what I do want to know is how did you find out about my mission." She said with a serious look.  
>"I heard a rumor while I was on a mission, so I came to check it out." The blond said with a straight face. "I couldn't let a fellow mage get ambushed and possibly get killed."<br>'He came to help a complete stranger even when he didn't have to.' Erza thought. "Hey Naruto-san." She said to the blond who was tying up random mages from the defeated Dark Guild.  
>"Yes?" he said without turning.<br>"How would joining Fairy Tail sound to you?"  
>He stopped moving when he heard the young girl. He himself was actually thinking about asking her but she beat him to it. The blond knew the advantages of being in a guild, not to mention that Fairy Tail was the strongest guild, a guild which had a Dragon Slayer as a member so he might know something about his sister.<br>"Sure. Why not?" He said as he turned to the redhead with an eye smile. "Count me in."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note: <span>****Man, finding time to write fiction gets fewer and fewer now that I'm starting to write tests almost every day. Not to mention that I feel that I'm not getting better at all in this thing. Now, according to reviews, most people don't want a Naruto/Lucy pairing. I wasn't planning on that anyway. To be honest I'm not sure about the pairing. I'll just wait and see how the story will go. But I am curious about your opinion so I'll post a poll to see who the Fairy Tail girl that most of you want to see in a pairing with Naruto in general. On a side note, I doubt anyone who read the last Fairy Tail chapter expected that outcome. I mean, I expected a time skip but not this big. And finally, I want to say how happy I am for the support that you people show me in my first story. My mind is overflowing with ideas that I wish I could use Shadow Clones like Naruto and write one chapter per day. I'm also really happy because my dad is back from his five month job because I really missed him. Till later. Marvey out. **

* * *

><p><strong><span>Edit:<span>**** Fixed some errors.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 4

_Edited on July 30__th_

The trip to Magnolia was rather unique to Naruto. The blond had been traveling on his own ever since he left Grandeeney's place, never staying in a town for more than the time he needed to complete a mission and constantly honing his skills as a wind mage. This time, however, it was different. He was traveling with another mage, a girl at the same age as him. Of course he didn't mind. He was kind of a lone wanderer before his encounter with Erza, so he welcomed the change. They had already developed a friendly relationship through sparring and camping at nights despite knowing each other for a few days.

'Things are actually looking up ever since I got here. I could get used to this peace.' The blond thought as they reached the city of Magnolia.

'This city is huge!' He instantly thought once they entered the city.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Erza asked when she noticed that her fellow mage suddenly stopped walking.

"Huh? It's nothing." He said as he started looking around. "So, are we going to the guild now or you have business you want to take care of first?"

"Not really. I was planning to go to the guild first to report for the mission. Come on, let's go sign you up."

"Sounds like a plan."

Naruto soon noticed that, on their way to the guild, the citizens were happily waving to Erza who was returned the gesture with a smile on her face.

'They must really like her.' He thought as a smile crept on his face as well. He then focused back on the road as they reached the guild. The exterior was pyramidal in shape, with the size of the floors decreasing higher into the building until it reached the summit of the building.

'Nice design.' The blond thought before he was brought back to reality by his travelling companion.

"We are here." She said, eyeing him to see his reaction.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Naruto said as he grinned. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Naruto thought that he was ready to see everything. That he wouldn't be surprised. But Erza didn't warn him for what he was about to witness. So he sweatdropped when he saw the guild members fighting each other with chairs and random objects flying in the air. He easily recognized a certain rose haired teen with a red sleeveless shirt, yellow pants and a white scale patterned scarf fighting a dark haired teen who was only wearing black boxers.<p>

'Just as Grandeeney described you, Salamander no Natsu.' He thought.

"I'm back." Said Erza, clearly unfazed by the commotion.

All of a sudden, everyone stopped fighting except the two teens that Naruto focused on earlier. The redhead sighed as she approached the duo to stop them.

"No fighting!" she said while violently pushing the younger boys away from each other.

"E-Erza! You are back!" They both stuttered, terror evident on their faces.

'That was… unexpected.' Thought the blond as he remembered that moments ago the people were happy to see Erza.

"Erza, who's that guy?" Natsu asked while he pointed at Naruto's direction.

The half naked guy looked the masked blond closely and stopped when he noticed the symbol on Naruto's bandana.

"This leaf symbol. You are the Leaf Hurricane!" He yelled as pointed the blond as well.

Everybody's attention turned to Naruto after that exclamation.

"Uh, hi there." He said, sweatdropping from the sudden interest the guild members showed.  
>'What's with those guys?' He thought.<p>

"Huh? What is this punk doing here?"

The blond turned his attention to a white haired girl around his age that wore black bra and short pants, as well as wristbands and boots with skulls on her shin of the same color. She looked annoyed by his presence alone.

'Erza warned me about that reaction, Mirajane Strauss.'

"I came to join the guild." He calmly said, earning some surprised looks from the audience and an annoyed one by the girl. "Is Master Makarov here? I have to talk to the guild master so that I can join right?"

"Master isn't here right now but he's already on his way back." The white haired girl said. "I'm in charge as long as he is absent."

"Oh. So you must be Mirajane."

"You've heard of me?" she asked in a mock-surprised tone. "I'm flattered."

"Oookay." The blond said as he sweatdropped at Mirajane's actions. "So where do I sign?"

"Not so fast punk." Mira said as she started approaching him. Naruto noticed that everyone was looking at them. 'What is she up to?'

"You'll fight me first."

"WHAT?" said everyone that was there. The blond found their over the top reactions to be hilarious but refrained himself from laughing and focused instead on the situation that he was in.

"No."

The simple answer was enough to make the guild members' eyes go wider than physically possible as Mira was shocked herself for a moment before she regained her previous pissed-off look. The blond also noticed Erza's smile as well the two teens' look of pity, for him most likely.

"Why not? Are you scared?" Mira's question brought his attention back to her as he smiled broadly.

"Try to hit me if you want. Your semi perfect take over is not enough to take me down."

"What did you say? TAKE OVER! SATAN SOUL!"

Mira was engulfed by dark energy that slowly dissipated, revealing her changed form. Her white hair were pointed upwards as if defying gravity and she was now sporting a purple outfit instead of a black one and a tail coming from her back.

"DEAD STREAM!" She yelled as she threw a dark ball towards Naruto's direction.

To her shock, the ball passed right through him as if he wasn't even there.

"Told ya. If your attack was at full power, it would hit me even if I was in wind form."

"Don't get cocky just because you dodged that." She yelled as she charged straight towards the blond. Naruto engulfed his hands with wind magic and grabbed her wrists, effectively stopping her attack. However, he skidded back from the force.

"I told you already; I don't want to fight you." He said as he stared at Mira intently.

"Then who do you want to fight?" She asked while trying to prevail in their struggle.

"The old man who's about to enter the guild through a hole." The blond said with a grin.

"What are you talking about?"

Suddenly the guild was shaken as a large hole appeared on one of the walls. When the dust settled, the person who was responsible for that was visible. He was a tall middle aged man with slicked back orange red hair. He was wearing beige cargo pants tucked in black boots, a black short sleeved shirt and a black cape with beige shoulder pads.

Naruto took advantage of the distraction used Mira's force to throw her forward, causing the white haired girl to fall right in front of the tall man.

"Mirajane, why are you lying on the floor?" The red haired man asked her with a confused look. Said girl got up as she canceled her magic. She glared at her blond opponent as she went back to the counter.

"Am I missing something?" He asked again.

"Don't worry Gildarts. Mira's just acting like she always does when we have a new guild member." Erza said. She was trying not to laugh at her rival's antics.

"New guild member?" Gildarts asked as he scanned the guild hall to find someone that was unfamiliar with. He didn't have to look for long as he Naruto who wasn't that far from him.

"Yo." Naruto said as he gave the older man an eye smile.

"A cape, a mask that hides the lower part of the face and a bandanna with a leaf symbol. You must be the Leaf Hurricane." Gildarts said as he stared at the masked blond.

"Ace of Fairy Tail, Gildarts Clive." Naruto said. For the first time in months he was shaking with anticipation. He pointed a finger at the red haired man.

"Fight me!"

Everyone in the hall turned their attention again on the former shinobi who sweatdropped at their reaction. As for Gildarts, he eyed the masked blond, as if calculating him, before he nodded in agreement.

"Just so you know" he said gaining everyone's attention, "I hate to hold back."

"So do I." Naruto said as he was grinning. "We should probably take this outside."

"Follow me then." Gildarts said.

* * *

><p>'Well this is troublesome.' Naruto thought. He followed the man known as the Ace of Fairy Tail to the back of the guild so they could fight without any distractions. Unfortunately for them, someone informed the whole city that a new mage challenged Gildarts, so the two mages were surrounded by a big crowd that wanted to see their fight.<p>

'I wanted to fight Fairy Tail's best so that I won't have to hold back.' He though. 'But I won't be able to do that with so many people around.'

"Are you ready kid?" Gildarts said.

"Anytime you are old man." Naruto said as he threw away his cape. He looked to his left to see Erza standing there to act as a referee.

"Ready?" she asked as both mages nodded. "Begin!"

The moment Erza lowered her hand, Naruto got into a fighting stance.

"Here I come, Gildarts!" He shouted as he dashed towards the older mage. The blond was striking as swift and efficient as he could in an attempt to catch him off guard. Gildarts, on the other hand, was just blocking Naruto's attacks like they were nothing. He then went for a powerful right which the blond dodged and used his left hand to block an incoming kick. Naruto backflipped in order to have some distance from his opponent.

"So the rumors are true. You haven't moved at all from your position." He said.

"You are fast kid, I'll give you that." A smirking Gildarts said. "But it will take more than speed to make me move from my position."

"You haven't seen anything yet!" The blond said. "It's time to go all out!"

Naruto started charging. He was slowly enveloped with wind, forming a gust around him and his eyes started glowing.

"What is this crazy magic power? He is completely different than before." Erza said, shocked form seeing Naruto's change. Gildarts, however, was smiling.

'As I thought. He didn't just run head first but he actually tested me. Very smart for someone his age. Let's see now what you can really do.'

"KAZE BURE-DO!" The blond yelled as he threw two wind blades from his hands, that the read haired man stopped with wave of his hand. He then turned to block a punch courtesy of the former shinobi.

'Not only his speed has increased but he is also stronger than before.' He thought when he saw Naruto disappearing again.

"What's the matter? Can't keep up?" Naruto said as he started speeding up even more. "I can go even faster you know."

He was moving so fast that he was leaving afterimages behind.

'I can barely follow him with my eyes.' Gildarts thought before he suddenly appeared in front of him.

"KAZERYU NO JINKEN!"

'A dragon fist like Natsu?'

He got into a defensive stance as the fist connected, causing him to skid back a few feet.

"He made Gildarts move."

At that statement, the crowd saw that whoever said that he was right. The ground was damaged where Gildarts used to stand and there was actually a small crater as Naruto was momentarily in front of Gildarts before there was an explosion. When the dust settled, Gildarts was standing alone.

"What happened?"

"Did he disappear?"

Erza was shocked. She had seen what actually happened and turned to her fellow S Class Mage with anger in her eyes.

"Why did you use your Crash magic against him Gildarts? Are you out of your mind?" She yelled at him.

"No." The older mage said. "He's not dead. I saw him disappearing before my magic was in full effect."

As if to confirm his suspicions, the wind started becoming more violent. Gildarts looked up to see a tornado going towards him.

"TATSUMAKI!"

He held both of his hands up in an attempt to block the incoming attack. Once the attack connected, however, it dissipated as a figure emerged from it, revealing a severely injured Naruto. His left arm was heavily bruised and he clearly looked like he couldn't move it while his shirt and mask were ruined, revealing his bloodied torso. He was barely able to stand.

"Damn!" He said between pants. "That hurt like a bitch!"

Gildarts sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness you are fine. I thought you were a goner for a moment."

The blond chuckled.

"I don't give up easily" He said as he matched the older mage's stare.

Gildarts momentarily smiled before he frowned. "We should stop however. You can barely move."

The blond chuckled again before he started coughing blood.

"Hehehe. Don't worry. That won't be a problem."

"How will these injuries not be a problem?" The red haired mage asked in a confused tone.

"You'll see." Naruto said before he brought his right arm close to the injured left.

Suddenly a green light came from out of his extended hand. Gildarts was surprised when the wounds started closing. Even the blood disappeared, making the blonde's body look perfectly fine.

"That's healing magic." The S Class mage said, the smile returning to his face. "You are full of surprises."

Naruto grinned as he stood up. Inwardly, however, he felt exhausted.

'Healing myself requires much more magic than healing others. I have to finish this fight quickly before I collapse from magic exhaustion.' He thought.

"Ready for round two? Or are you too tired already?"

"Being mocked and humiliated by a kid. Has my reputation fallen so low?" Gildarts asked in a mock hurt tone. "Bring it." He said, motioning the blond to attack.

Naruto ripped the remains of his torn shirt and got into fighting stance. He then disappeared from view again.

'I'll go with hit and run. It's the best I can do against such an opponent with my magic running at such low levels.' He thought as he set his plan into action.

Gildarts found himself once again in the defense as he blocked Naruto's attacks.

Erza stared in awe as Naruto kept appearing and disappearing while Gildarts effortlessly blocked him.

'Naruto's trying to take Gildarts by surprise. And thanks to his speed, Gildarts can't land a hit on him. Basically, the moment one successfully hits the other it's over.' She thought.

Suddenly Naruto appeared directly above Gildarts.

'I can't block it.' He thought as Naruto's punch was inches away from his face. The blond, however, seemed to slow down.

'I didn't make it.' Naruto thought before he fainted, falling on the older mages shoulder. Erza and Natsu rushed towards the two mages in order to check up on the blond.

"What happened?" Natsu asked before Erza had to chance to do.

"He fainted. Maybe his wounds haven't fully healed as he thought so I'm taking him to the hospital." Gildarts said as he started walking with the two teens on his side.

* * *

><p>"You think he is fine?"<p>

"The doctor said that he was only exhausted and he just needs to rest. He was so amazing when he fought Gildarts. I want to fight him too when he wakes up."

"Aye."

Naruto slowly woke up due to the sound voices. 'Where am I?' He thought.

"I think we should take off his mask so he can breathe easier."

"Aye."

The blond suddenly opened his eyes as if on instinct and grabbed the arm that touched his mask. He turned his face to see a white haired girl that reminded him of Mirajane. She seemed scared to him and he quickly realized that it was she who tried to take off his mask so that he can probably breathe easier.

"Sorry about that." He said as he left her hand and sat on the bed.

"Don't worry about that." She said with a smile.

"You seem familiar. You were talking to Mira when I left the guild with Gildarts, right?"

"Yeah. Sorry about Mira-nee's behavior earlier. She's not a bad person." The girl said.

"Mira-nee?" Naruto asked.

"I'm her younger sister Lisanna. Nice to meet you." She said with a smile.

'That girl sure smiles a lot.' He thought as he looked the younger girl. "Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you too." He said with a grin. He then noticed Gildarts and Natsu who were sitting by the door, as well as a blue cat and a short old man. He was bald with white spiky hair on the outer rims of his head and had a thick white moustache. He was wearing a white t-shirt, orange jacket and shorts and a blue jester hat. Despite his funny looking appearance, he recognized him as Makarov Dreyar, one of the ten wizard saints and the current Fairy Tail guild master.

"Lisanna, can you please go and inform everyone that our guest is fine? And please take Happy with you." He asked the white haired girl who nodded and left the room while hopping. The moment she left the room, Natsu got in front of Naruto's face.

"Are you a Dragon Slayer? How were you able to fight Gildarts? Where do you know Erza from?" He asked, the excitement barely hidden in his voice. The blond sweatdropped as he looked at the rose haired dragon slayer with a confused expression which was barely hidden by his half torn mask.

"Those were a lot of questions at once." He said, making Natsu nervously chuckle. "I'll start from the last question. I met Erza during her last mission. How we run into each other is a story for another time. As for my fight earlier, as you saw, I only managed to land a hit on Gildarts thanks to my speed. One move from him and I had to use most of my magic to heal myself." The blond said as he took a moment, his mood darkening a bit.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not a Dragon Slayer, though, like you, I lived with a dragon long enough to think of her as family. Isn't that right Natsu Dragneel, son of the Fire Dragon Igneel?"

"You- you know Igneel?" Natsu asked in disbelief before he got excited again. "Have you seen him? Do you know where he is?"

Naruto looked down.

"Sorry. I haven't seen Igneel or any other dragon besides Grandeeney. I actually hoped that you knew something about Wendy."

"Wendy?" The rose haired teen asked. Naruto nodded.

"Like you she is a Dragon Slayer, but she has the power of the sky. I promised to Grandeeney that I would find her, but the only thing that I know so far is that she is somewhere in Fiore."

"Ahem."

The two teens turned their attention to the old master.

"Erza told me that you want to join the guild. Is that correct?"

"Yeah. I figured that it would be easier to search for Wendy if I joined a guild."

Makarov looked the blond mage in the eyes. 'There's something special about that kid. There's wisdom in his eyes that's impossible for someone so young. And his determination to find his sister is amazing.' He thought.

"Ok. Come with me. You need to sign some papers and choose where do you want the Fairy Tail brand."

Naruto nodded and got up from the bed.

"Just a second" He said as light surrounded him. When the light disappeared, he wore a new cape and mask.

"Requip Magic? You really are full of surprises." Gildarts said as they left the hospital.

* * *

><p>The guild was full of people when they entered.<p>

'I'm never going to be bored in this guild, that's for sure.' Naruto thought with a smile. When they noticed him, everyone's attention was turned to him. He turned to see Makarov.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail." He said with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** I know what you're thinking. He is alive! I mean, how long it's been? A month? Two months? Oh yeah, since Fairy Tail's timeskip. The reason, well two reasons actually, why I wasn't updating was because my internet connection was broken and it's also exam period in my school. So I don't know when I'm going to update again. Probably during mid December but no one can be sure. Anyway, I'm actually surprised that the story is still alive after all this time. It seems that what I'm writing is interesting. It makes me feel good to know that there are people who enjoy reading my fiction. Until later. ^_^**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Edit: <span>****I just came back from my vacations so I'll start working on the next chapter in the coming days.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Editception:<span> I added more dialogue between Natsu and Naruto to explain some things about Naruto's fight with Gildarts since my half-assed description didn't go as I tried to show it.  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 5

_Edited on August 7th_

It was another beautiful day at Magnolia City. The birds were singing happily and the people were doing their daily jobs. To Makarov Dreyar nothing could possibly disrupt the serenity. He mentally cursed his luck, however, when he heard a large explosion from outside the building. Sighing, the old master got out of his office and looked from the second floor of the guild to see two particular young mages go all out against each other, or so it would seem to a complete stranger due to the destruction they were causing.

"You are wide open." Erza said as she sidestepped to stab her partner in the ribs. She was sporting a more suitable for hand to hand combat outfit, consisting of a black sleeveless shirt and a flame patterned bottom black hakama. She wielded a long katana with a silver and green hilt.

"You fell for it." Said a smirking Naruto as he brought his own black katana in an upside ark and blocked the redhead's sword. His outfit consisted of a white vest with gold trimmings in the side, showing the dark green Fairy Tail symbol on his left side of the chest, black cargo pants and straw sandals, with only the mask covering his face. He used his force to send Erza's sword above her head, leaving her exposed.

"I win this one." He said as he went for a strike in the female knight's shoulder.

"REQUIP!" Erza yelled, changing her katana for a zanbatō and blocked the blonde's katana with ease. Naruto, however, didn't seem unfazed by the change of momentum as he jumped back.

"REQUIP!" He said as the katana disappeared with a light. In its place were a pair of tantō, surprising Erza.

"You are getting better at requiping swords." She said as a small smile appeared on her face.

"Bring it." The blond said, motioning Erza to attack him.

She charged at him, waving her big sword in a wide vertical ark. Naruto smirked as he put his swords forward to block the strike. He then sidestepped and went for a quick strike to stun his training partner who dodged and backflipped, bringing the zanbatō in an upside down ark. The blond frontflipped, bringing both of his swords in an X stance to intercept the sudden attack. He continued to pursue her as they exchanged blows. Jumping back to avoid a possibly lethal strike, Naruto threw one of his tantō straight at Erza. The red haired mage stopped it with her own blade, only to feel the cold steel on her neck.

"You are mine." She heard the blond say. "Surrender." He added in a playful tone.

"I surrender." Erza said as the short blade disappeared in a light.

"You are getting better at using large swords Erza." Naruto said to her once she turned to look at him.

"I'm still not fast enough to stop you though." She said, even though she didn't sound angry at all. "After all, you rely on speed and tactics right?"

"Look underneath the underneath. That's what my sensei taught me." He said, remembering one the things he learned from Kakashi. He then sensed a familiar presence behind him. 'In three, two, one…'

"Naruto! Fight me!" Natsu shouted as he sneak attacked the blond mage with a fire fist. Naruto moved to the side, causing the young Dragon Slayer to fall face first in the ground.

"Ouch. How did you dodge?" He said as Happy started flying above him while Lisanna helped him get up.

Naruto looked at the rose haired teen like he just noticed him and said "Hey Natsu, I didn't see you there. What are you doing on the ground? Did you trip somewhere?"

"Aye." Happy said while Lisanna giggled and Natsu got up like nothing happened looking pissed.

"Fight me. I'll show you that I'm stronger than you."

"Of course you are." The blond said, surprising everyone who was present. "True strength comes from the desire to protect those who are precious to you and you have that. Only when you have something to fight for you can become truly strong. You just have to remember that." He then ruffled Natsu's hair, earning a pout from him who mumbled that he wasn't a kid. Makarov looked at the young mages with pride.

'Naruto became a proud member of the guild from the moment he joined.' He thought as he watched Erza separating Natsu and a half naked Gray who appeared out of nowhere and started fighting with him while Naruto was laughing as Mirajane joined the party and started fighting with Erza, only for Naruto to act as peacemaker in a comical way. 'It's been almost five months, however, and he still doesn't seem to trust his guildmates enough to reveal his past. His eyes don't lie and he rarely takes off the mask.'  
>He thought as he went back in his office. 'I hope he will come to fully trust his fellow guild members. All in due time I guess.'<p>

Naruto turned to Mirajane once he managed to stop the two girls from arguing.

"Hey Mira-chan, wanna go for a mission together?"

The girl looked at him and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry Naruto, the exams are coming up and I want to do as many solo missions as possible."

"Oh yeah. It's next week right? No wonder why the guild is so empty these days." The blond said as he looked around.

"I promise that we'll go for a mission when it's over, ok?" The white haired girl said with an uncharacteristically sweet smile as she went towards the exit. "See you later."  
>Natsu and Gray turned to look at the older teen with curious looks the moment both Erza and Mira were out of earshot.<p>

"How do you do that?" Gray asked Naruto.

"Do what?" The blond said with an innocent look.

"Neither Erza nor Mira-chan try to scare the crap out of you. Instead, you are the reason they start their arguments and you are also the only one who can stop them from tearing apart the guild. So I'm asking again; how do you do that?"

The blond thought before he answered. "I don't know. Maybe it's a talent. Like that ability of yours to randomly strip." He said, pointing to the dark haired teen who looked down to see that he was naked again.

"Oh man!" He exclaimed as he ran in a random direction while Natsu started laughing.

"Well, I suppose I'll go for a mission too." The blond said as he went to the request board for a mission.

"Yo Nab, how's it going?" He asked the older mage who seemed to spend all day staring at the request board as he claimed to search for the "special job that only he could do".

"Hey Naruto. If you're here for a mission I suggest you choose quickly before all of them disappear."

"Trust me, I know." The blond said while he was looking for a mission. "This one will do. Master, I'll do this mission." He said as he showed the request for the master to register it.

"Good luck Naruto." Lisanna said to the departing blond who had already changed in his usual outfit.

* * *

><p><p>

'According to the request, the beast has been terrorizing this area. There are a lot farms around here so it only makes sense for this place to be targeted.' The blond thought when he reached his destination. "I wonder where it is." He said before he heard a loud roar from the distance.

"Looks like I won't have to search for it after all." He said as he grinned and went towards the direction of the sound. He wasn't running for long when he saw a large figure that matched the description.

"This thing is huge. I'll have to use the element of surprise and take it down with one move." He said to himself as wind started engulfing him.

"TATSUMAKI!" He yelled as he turned into a tornado and hit the beast straight in the abdomen. Once he turned back to normal, he inspected the body.

'This was way too easy. I smell a rat here.' He thought before he jumped to the side to dodge a ball of darkness.

"Why can't I be wrong for once?" He said to no one when he turned to see a big group of monsters that looked exactly like the one he just took down. They were ready to throw the same darkness attack that almost hit earlier.

"Kuso! KAZE BAKUFUU!" He yelled as he threw a wind blast from his mouth to nullify the attacks. His eyes widened as he sensed the same dark energy from behind him. He turned just in time to dodge a ball of darkness, courtesy of another monster.

'How many are they?' He thought as he requiped a pair of black katana.

"Let's go wild!" He said as he dashed at the large number of monsters, cutting down any who stood in his way. This went on for a couple of hours as he was dodging and slashing.

"They just don't stop appearing." He said as he dropped on one knee, a single nōdashi on his right hand.

'Calm down Naruto. This has been going on for hours. There must be something more to this.'

He didn't have time to continue his train of thoughts as he dodged a darkness enhanced spear.

"KAZE BURE-DO!" He yelled as he threw wind blades at the monsters, temporarily clearing the place. The nōdashi disappeared as he closed his eyes and started scanning the area. A smile appeared on his face as he opened his eyes.

"Found you." He said just as five of these ape-like beasts attacked him with darkness infused fists, only to hit the ground.

"Too slow." The blond said as he took them down with a series of spinning kicks. He then dashed towards the forest and started gathering wind magic in his hands.

"KAZERYU NO JINKEN!" He yelled as he hit a by then invincible bigger beast right in the face, sending it flying in the air. Instantly, all of the other beasts disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto then fell on the ground as the many hours of constantly fighting took their toll on him.

"That's the second time I'm out of magic. Man I need to work on that." He said as he was breathing hard.

'Clone Magic? I should expect that this kind of skill would exist here too but it was definitely weird to fight against it.' He thought as memories of his previous life flashed in front of his eyes before exhaustion took over.

* * *

><p><p>

_Naruto was panting as he stood against his once best friend, Uchiha Sasuke. The last Uchiha survivor had become so obsessed with revenge that he had lost all reason, yet Naruto still tried to save him for the sake of their old team as well as Sasuke's ._

_"It's over Sasuke. Stop this madness right now and you will not be sentenced to death. I will personally vouch for you." He said in a last attempt to make the Uchiha stop._

_"You don't understand Naruto. Konoha used my brother to get rid of the Uchiha Clan. They sacrificed them in the name of peace. How can I stop when those who are responsible are still alive? Or do you claim that you can bring them back?"_

_"Damn it Sasuke! This is bigger than you and your clan. The whole world is in danger and you are aiding a madman in taking control of it. He doesn't give a damn about you. He is just using you."_

_"If he helps me get my revenge, then I don't care about anything else."_

_Naruto sighed._

_"I guess further talking to you is pointless. Let's end this already you bastard." The blond shinobi said as he prepared a blue energy ball in his hand._

_"Finally decided to get killed? Very well then." Sasuke said, a lightning blade already in his hand._

_Both shinobi jumped high in the sky as they attacked each other with their signature attacks._

_"NARUTOOOOOOO!"_

_"SASUKEEEEEEEE!"_

_"CHIDORI!"_

_"RASENGAN!"_

_ The attacks collided, creating a giant wave of water from the river that was under the two young men. Both of the attacks seemed to be equally strong. Suddenly, Naruto's Rasengan started expanding._

_"What?"_

_"It's over Sasuke!"_

_The Rasengan overcame Sasuke's Chidori and hit the raven haired teen in the chest. Naruto kept pushing as the attack sent the Uchiha towards the cliff. As Sasuke fell to the ground, spilling blood from the impact, Naruto landed next to him._

_"You are not the only one who has lost his family. Many people died in the past sixteen years thanks to Tobi. Like my father and mother. And when I lost Jiraiya-shishou, I didn't know what to do. But I never turned on the village, not even when I was shunned by the villagers."_

_'Even now, you don't feel hatred towards me. After everything I've done you tried to reason with me, to save me.' Sasuke thought as he was losing consciousness. "Naruto." He said to the blond who looked at him. "Defeat Tobi. Do what I didn't do when I had the chance."_

_Naruto nodded. "Right!"_

* * *

><p>It was night when Naruto returned to the city. The empty streets indicated just how late it was. The guild, however, was still open so he headed there. He opened the door to see the usual sight of Natsu and Gray fighting while everyone else has learnt to ignore the two teens by now.<p>

"Yo Natsu, Gray." The blond said as a sly smile crept its way on his face. "Erza's on her way here so I would stop if I were you." And to scare them to death he did a perfect imitation of Erza's voice. "No fighting!" Natsu and Gray shivered at hearing the voice and started acting like best buddies while saying "Aye!" in a Happy way. Satisfied with his little prank, Naruto headed towards the counter and sat on chair, still tired from the mission.

"Yo Naruto." Gildarts said when the blond was closer.

"Hey Gildarts." Naruto said as he fell face first on the bar.

"Tough day?"

"Tough mission. An ape-like monster with Clone Magic. Took me hours to end it." The blond said in a monotone way as he took a mug of beer and drank it in one shot. Gildarts sweatdropped because Cana did the same thing at the same time.

"I see. So, do you know what will happen next week?" He said.

"The whole country knows it. The S Class Trial Exam." The blond said as he waved for another mug.

"Correct. So how come you aren't training right now? Don't you want to participate in the exam?" He asked.

Naruto stared at the older man like he grew a second head.

"Do you think jiichan is going to choose a guy who's been in the guild for less than half a year for such a tournament?" He said as he drank the second mug in one shot too.

"Anything's possible Naruto. It's Master we are talking about." The red haired mage said. "Do as many jobs as you can this week. You might be surprised."

The blond contemplated on what the older mage said. "Who knows?" He said as he got up from his seat. "Well, I'm off. Thanks for the advice Gildarts." When he got out of the guild, however, he said to himself. "S Class Mage, huh?"

* * *

><p><p>

One day at the guild was enough for Naruto to see just how crazy his guildmates were about becoming S Class Mages. Everybody was going to the guild for missions and left as if their lives depended on it. Teams were temporarily disbanded in order to do solo missions. He even had to dodge the incoming people and come early in the morning to secure the toughest mission. During nights, the blond trained to improve his strength as he couldn't rely only on speed against powerhouses like Laxus and Gildarts. And so one week has passed like that. Every Fairy Tail mage was in the guild hall waiting for the master's arrival.

"I hope Master will choose me this time." Alzack Connell said in anticipation as he was sitting with his partner Bisca Mulan.

'Everyone's so excited about it.' Naruto thought. He chose to wear something more simple for the event, so he was wearing a simple black shirt and pants and an orange vest. 'Even Natsu and Gray are waiting for jiichan's arrival.'  
>He then saw his good friend and drinking buddy Cana and walked towards her.<p>

"Yo Cana. Can't wait for the announcement?" He said to his eager friend.

"You know I want this really bad." Cana said with a grin.

"Well, we are about to find out I guess." The blond said as he pointed at the stage where the curtain opened, revealing Master Makarov in his Wizard Saint outfit with Gildarts, Laxus and Erza on his side.

"Finally." Said an impatient Mirajane as everyone turned his attention toward the master.  
>Makarov cleared his throat as everyone was silent.<p>

"I'm about to announce the contestants for this year's S Class Trial Exam. I have taken into account your strength and missions that you accomplished during the year and decided that there will be six contestants this year."

"That's less than usual." Cana said. "That means the exams are going to be even harder."

"The contestants this year will be:

"Mirajane Strauss!"

"Damn right!" Mirajane said as Lisanna wished her good luck and some members started cheering.

"Cana Alberona!"

"This time I'll make it." The brunette said with determination.

"Elfman Strauss!"

"No way. In the same exam as neechan?" The male Take Over mage said with a shocked face as Lisanna congratulated her brother as well.

"Gray Fullbuster!"

"Finally it's time." The dark haired teen said.

"Freed Justine!"

"I got chosen?" The leader of the Raijinshu in disbelief.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Wait, really? Me?" The blond said in disbelief as most of the guild members looked surprised as well.

"The candidates have a week to choose their partners and prepare for the exams." Laxus said as Erza followed.

"You will gather at Hargeon Port. This year the exams will take place at Athiron Island. As Fairy Tail's newest S Class Mage, it will be my job to test this year's candidates."

Laxus grinned when he saw most of the mages besides the participants being scared just from the thought. Noticing that none of the candidates were showing signs of being scared, he decided to do that himself.

"I'll also stand in the candidates' way. I expect you to be worthy of my time."

"Wait." Said a terrified Elfman. "That means we have to fight two S Class Mages?"

"Don't complain kids. Everyone who became an S Class Mage crossed the same path."

"No way." Gray said as he started stuttering. "Not Gildarts too."

'Makes sense.' Naruto thought 'The current S Class Mages will try to stop the candidates.' Then it suddenly hit him. 'I might get a chance at a rematch with Gildarts.'

Barely holding his enthusiasm at the opportunity of fighting the Ace of Fairy Tail again the blond turned to Cana and grinned at her.

"Good luck Cana."

The brunette faced him with a grin as well.

"Good luck to you Naruto. I hope to see you at the finals so that I can take you down." She said with a wink.

The blond bid farewell and was about to leave when he was stopped by Natsu.

"Hey Naruto where are you going?" The rose haired Dragon Slayer asked.

"To get ready for the exams." The blond said as he left the guild. His departure didn't go unnoticed by two particular mages.

'I won't lose to you Naruto. It's my time to become an S Class Mage.' Mirajane thought when he saw him talk with Natsu and then leave. Gildarts, on the other hand, smiled as he thought.

'Already for training Naruto? Good luck then. I'll be waiting for you in the exams.'

* * *

><p><strong><span>Authors Note:<span>**** Sorry for late update. Had a lot of stuff to deal with like the usual homework and the trip to Italy. I'm not sure when will the next update be but that one is definitely the last of the year so Merry Christmas ^_^  
>I had trouble writing this chapter. I experimented a little with some sort of a sword fighttraining and then I had a fight where Naruto gets overwhelmed as well as a flashback. I hope I'm doing a good job with the characters as well since more and more start appearing. By the way, I'm not one hundred percent sure how I'll go with the exam, so I'll put a poll to see who you guys and girls want to see fight against Naruto. The only thing I'm already sure I'll do is the partners for the candidates. So, I wish all of you Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, be sure to ask anything you want about the story in your reviews and I'll try my best to answer you.** **Until later. Marvey out.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Edit:<span>**** And that's the edited chapter. I hope I didn't miss any errors after all that searching. I'm gonna work on some scraps now for the fights before I go to sleep. See ya soon, I hope.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 6

The next day from the announcement of the candidates for the S Class Trial Exams the guild was back on its normal pace again. Most of the members were on the guild hall talking about random things while the candidates of the exam were sharing a table.

"So has anyone decided on their partners?" Lisanna asked curiously as she was drinking some juice.

"I don't about anyone here but it seems that Freed already has." Naruto said as everyone looked towards the green haired mage's direction, who was chatting with his loud partner from the Raijinshu, Bickslow.

"They are a team anyway. It would be either him or Evergreen." Cana said as she shrugged. "As for me, it will be Macao. We've teamed up for a couple of missions in the past and we know each other's fighting style."

"Alzack has offered to be my partner in case I got chosen. I'll be joining him and Bisca later to start training." Gray said.

"You and Alzack huh? That's an interesting team. I want to run into you now in the exams." Naruto said as he rested on the back legs of his chair.

"You wanna fight with me Naruto? I got no problem doing that right now with no partners." The ice mage said with a grin on his face. Before Naruto could respond though Cana turned her attention to the dark haired teen.

"Your clothes." She said with a bored expression as she gulped a mug of beer causing Gray to quickly get redressed.

"Who are you going to help Lisanna? Both of your siblings are in the exams this year." Gray asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Elf-nii already asked Wakaba to be his partner so I'll help Mira-nee." The white haired mage said with a smile as Elfman nodded.

"I can't turned down a man's proposal." He said while still nodding.

"What about you Naruto?" The white haired asked the blond mage.

Just then Natsu came to the table with Happy flying above him.

"I'll be Naruto's partner." He said with a grin as everyone besides Gray was shocked.

"Aye." Happy said while eating a fish.

"I should have seen that coming. So you found a way to get in the exam after all Flame Brain?" Gray asked as he was dressed again.

"No way I would lose to you Stripper." The dragon slayer said as both teens started glaring at each other.

"Too bad Erza isn't around. She is the only who can make these two stop." Cana whispered to Lisanna who giggled. Just then Naruto got up from his chair.

"We'll have to postpone our fight Gray. Natsu and I are supposed to start training by noon. Besides, I don't want to send you to Alzack and Bisca with bruises." The blond said turning everyone's attention to him.

"Since when did you start being such hot stuff Naruto?" Cana said with a smirk, getting a wink in return from the blond.

"They won't have to worry about that Naruto. But since you and the idiot want to train I won't be in the way." Gray said as he lazily sat back on his chair ignoring Natsu's yelling.

"You should go train with Naruto Natsu. Maybe then you'll have a chance to fight Gray after that." Happy said while flying over Natsu's head.

"Not you too Happy!" The young dragon slayer exclaimed before he turned to the blond mage. "So will we start training Naruto?"

"Not here. I have just the perfect place for this. Follow me." Naruto said with an eye smile as he went towards the exit.

"Man, this guy's eye smiles keep creeping me out." Natsu said as he started following the blond teen while Happy just said "Aye." with a bored expression.

* * *

><p>"Wow." Natsu exclaimed as he stared in wonder at the place that Naruto brought the two of them. It was an open field to the west of the city with a small river that had a river gushing from it. It was also surrounded by the forest, giving the place a secluded feeling.<p>

"I found this place a couple of days ago while I training. It's peaceful enough to just lay to the ground and stare at the clouds and it's far enough from the city so you can train all you want without bothering anyone. I'm sure Lisanna would've loved it if you brought her here." Naruto said as he turned to the young dragon slayer and the blue cat that followed them. "Now-" he said as his whole body flashed, revealing a different outfit which consisted of orange slacks and sleeveless shirt, bandages around his arms and wrists and the typical black mask. "Happy please step to the side. And Natsu, hit me with everything you've got."

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Natsu yelled as he rushed towards Naruto. "KARYU NO TEKKEN!" He yelled as he aimed for a flame punch straight to the blonde's face. Naruto jumped in the air to dodge the punch but was surprised when the dragon slayer twisted his body as he yelled "KARYU NO KAGITSUME!", striking him in the chest with his legs.

"Gah!" Naruto gasped as he was thrown in the air by the rose haired teen's attack before he turned upside down and put his hands in front of his face.

"KAZE BAKUFUU!" he yelled as he threw a wind blast to the ascending Natsu.

"KARYU NO YOKUGEKI!" the dragon slayer yelled as his hands created flame dragon like wings and collided with the blast causing an explosion. Suddenly the blond appeared out of the smoke. He yelled as he punched Natsu in the face, cutting his ascension. To Naruto's surprise the dragon slayer grinned.

"KARYU NO…" He said as he gathered fire in his mouth.

'He expected my attack?' Naruto thought as his eyes widened.

"HOKO!" Natsu yelled as he threw a giant fire breath attack directly to the blond who was in mid air.

'Shit.' The blond thought he was overwhelmed by the fire attack. Natsu land to the ground in a fighting pose while waiting for the fire to dissipate. The fire finally stopped, revealing a panting Naruto. His outfit was messed up as he was missing the shirt and his bandages and slacks were burnt while the mask was surprisingly intact.

"Natsu has completely overwhelmed Naruto." Happy said with surprised look on his face.

"Happy!"

The blue cat looked up to see the familiar form of Lisanna approaching him in her bird form.

"Lisanna!" Happy shouted as he went towards the transformed girl.

"What happened here? I saw a big explosion from the city." The white haired girl said once she deactivated her magic.

"Natsu and Naruto are training." Happy said as he motioned towards the two teens. Lisanna looked at them with a surprised expression.

"Natsu's winning?"

"Aye. Naruto has only landed a single punch on Natsu."

"Hah, hah, hah. You've really improved since we last fought Natsu." The blond said between pants as he took up his fighting stance again though he was still tired from the attack.

"It seems that you lost your edge Naruto." The rose haired teen said with a grin.

"He he. You shouldn't take me lightly Natsu." Naruto said as he loosened his bandages.

'What is he doing?' Natsu thought.

"Let me show you a technique that an old friend of mine taught me years ago." Naruto said as he started charging. In an instant he appeared directly in front of the dragon slayer.

'When did he…?'

Natsu's thoughts were interrupted as the blond kicked him in the face, sending him high in the air.

"So fast." Lisanna said as she stared at the blond who appeared below the dragon slayer. Naruto then proceeded to wrap Natsu with the bandages and started descending to the ground while being upside down.

"OMOTE RENGE!" He yelled as he crashed the rose haired teen to the ground, raising a big cloud of smoke and dust. As the dust dissipated, Naruto was standing at a distance from the crater where Natsu was.

"Hah, hah, maybe I went a little overboard with that. When Gekimayu-sensei did this to me for the first time I was out for two days." He said while heavily panting. He was once again surprised when Natsu started crawling out of the crater.

"Kuso! I'm not done yet." The dragon slayer said as he got up.

'He got my omote renge after using all that magic and he's still in a better shape than me. When did you get so strong Natsu?' The blond thought.

"Natsu's still up." Happy said.

"Both of them have been giving everything they've got. It's amazing." Lisanna exclaimed.

"This one's a tie. Let's start round two Natsu." Naruto said as he got into his fighting stance.

"Here I come! KARYU NO KAGITSUME!" Natsu yelled as he used the fire on his legs to propel towards the blond.

"KARYU NO YOKUGEKI!" he yelled at the same time as his hands took the form of fire wings.

'He used both of his techniques at the same time?' the blond thought as he jumped back to dodge the dragon slayer's attack.

"Not this time. KAZERYU NO JINKEN!" he yelled as he landed on the trunk of a tree and dashed towards Natsu who was exposed.

"KARYU NO TEKKEN!" the dragon slayer yelled as his fist was ignited with fire. As the two teens dashed at each other their fists collided, creating a wall of fire in the middle.

'So intense.' Lisanna thought. As the mages fought for dominance Naruto smirked.

"I win this round Natsu!"

The dragon slayer's eyes widened when he noticed that Naruto was gathering wind in his mouth.

'A wind blast while already using a different attack?' he thought.

"KAZE BAKUFUU!" Naruto yelled as he exhaled the blast at point blank, sending the young dragon slayer inside the forest. The blond fell on one knee as Lisanna and Happy went to check on Natsu.

"I guess that ends the training for today." Naruto said as he too started going towards Natsu. When he found them Happy was on top of Natsu trying to wake him up.

"Look Naruto. A Natsu shaped hole." He said between giggles as he showed the hole to the blond who couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"Hey. What's so funny?" Natsu asked as he magically got up like nothing happened.

"You two always go overboard." Lisanna said in her motherly voice as both teens suddenly got embarrassed from being scolded. Natsu rubbed his head before he turned to Naruto.

"Still that was one crazy breath attack. You sure you are not a Dragon Slayer?" He asked the blond.

"I think I would have realized it if I could eat the air Natsu." Naruto answered while rubbing his back.

"Aye." Happy added.

"Ah, you three." Lisanna said as she sighed. Inwardly though she was happy for them.

"Yosh! Let's fight again Naruto!" Natsu said as he bumped his fists together. To his surprise the blond nodded in disagreement.

"Let's stop for today. It's getting late anyway." He said. The dragon slayer blinked for a moment before he relaxed too.

"Fine. Let's return to the guild." He said as he started walking.

"Wait." Naruto said. "Let me heal you. Then you guys go ahead, there's something I want to check."

Natsu was about to protest when Lisanna interfered. "Ok Naruto." She said with a smile. Naruto smiled at her before he went towards the rose haired teen and started healing him.

"You should take a look at your wounds too Naruto. Mira-nee would freak out if she saw you like that." She added playfully.

"You think so huh?" Naruto laughed nervously as the image of an angry Mirajane came to his mind.

"There. All done." He said when he finished healing Natsu.

"See you later Naruto." Lisanna said as the three younger mages went back to the guild. When Naruto was left alone he went to sit under a tree and started meditating.

'There was another reason why I chose this place for training. What actually lead me here was an usual signal of magic. It's completely different than anything on this world. And it's intense right about now. What could it be?' He though as he started tracing the magic's signature through meditation.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, somewhere to the west from where Naruto and Natsu were training a strange magic seal appeared. Suddenly, the seal turned into a vortex and started draining objects in it before it was forcibly closed as a masked figure stood there with holding what looked like magic staves in his hands. The person started panting as he went towards a tree and rested on its trunk.<p>

"Another gate in only a few month's time. Why do you keep doing this tousan? What will you accomplish?" he said in a tired voice as he looked in the distance.

"It may be dangerous, but I need to find someone who has knowledge of Edolas in order to get some help. I heard that Fairy Tail's master Makarov is a wise mage. Maybe I should pay him a visit." The masked man added.

* * *

><p>'Damn! It's nightfall already. Mira and Lisanna are going to kill me.' Naruto thought as he jumped from building to building towards Fairy Tail's building. A sudden change in the air caused him to stop on his tracks as he looked at a figure in front of him.<p>

'Who's that?' He thought. 'And why does it feel familiar?'

"Who are you?" He shouted at the figure as he adopted a fighting stance. The figure however turned around and started walking towards an alley.

"Wait!" the blond yelled as he ran towards the figure. When he got in the alley he realized that the feeling was gone as the figure was nowhere to be seen too.

'That's weird. I'm sure I've felt this before. It feels like… Grandeeney. But that can't be, Grandeeney can't turn into a human. Right?' he thought to himself before it occurred to him that he was taking even more time to return to the guild.

"Damn! I'll think about this later." He said as he started going towards the guild at a faster rate.

* * *

><p>"Naruto is sure taking his time returning." Cana said as the younger generation of Fairy Tail was sitting at the guildhall.<p>

"Maybe he was so busy from what he wanted to check that he is still doing it." Alzack said from a different table.

"Could it be?" Happy said in a dramatic tone.

"What is it Happy?" Natsu asked. "Do you know what is he doing?" Happy took a serious expression as if he realized something.

"Naruto wanted to eat some fish that he found and he didn't want to share it with me! How cruel of him!" the blue cat said as he started crying and yelling "Bad Naruto!" while Lisanna tried to comfort him.

"Now that you mention it, he did want to stay alone." Natsu added as he took a thinking pose, causing most mages present to sweatdrop.

"I don't care what that idiot is doing. When he comes here I'll pummel him for lying to you about returning before nightfall." Mira said, obviously pissed off because of the blond.

"What's the matter Mirajane? Do you miss him that much?" Erza asked her rival in a teasing tone.

"What was that Erza? You wanna fight?" Mira said as she turned to the smirking redhead.

"You are so easy to tease Mira-nee." Lisanna said as she still tried to comfort Happy who was sulking.

"What is going on here?" Gray asked Cana once he took a seat next to her.

"Naruto's still not here." The brunette said as she waved her hands in the air.

"And that's why Happy's crying?" the dark haired teen asked in confusion.

"Actually he's crying because…"

"Achoo! I'm back!" Naruto said as he opened the door while sneezing.

"Why did you hide fish from us?" Natsu and Happy instantly asked while pointing their fingers at the blond.

"What?" he said in confusion before he ducked.

"Hey. What's that for?" the blond asked when he realized that it was Mira who attacked him and she was looking really angry.

"That's for lying about returning early you stupid blondie." She said as she started chasing the older teen.

"When did I say that? Hey watch out." The blond said as he started running away from Mira. "Erza! A little help here!" he pleaded the redhead as he kept dodging Mira's attacks.

"Sorry Naruto, you're on your own." Erza shouted as she was trying to hold her laughter which is something others didn't even try to do.

"Yosh! I'm fired up!" Natsu yelled as he went after the blond himself while the guildmembers started brawling again.

"I suppose Naruto isn't always able to stop Mira's wrath." Gray said to Cana before he got a table to the face. "Hey, who threw that?" He yelled at the guildmembers as he joined the fray too.

"You people are crazy. I give up." Cana said as she returned to her drinking.

* * *

><p>For the following days everyone was preparing for the exams. By training their body and teamwork, the mages all aspired to become the next S Class mage of Fairy Tail. As for Naruto, he devoted his time to sparring and training with Natsu as well as by himself. As the sun was rising for the day of the exams, the blond was standing alone at an open field inspecting the damage that his training caused.<p>

"Yosh. I finally mastered it."

The blond swept the sweat from his face as he looked at the sky.

"The ship will be leaving soon. I should better go get ready."

* * *

><p>Four hours later the candidates and their partners for the S Class trial exams arrived at Hargeon Port. As the day of the exam finally arrived, everyone was ready to prove that they were S Class material.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Finally! The Marvey has come back to . I know, I know, this is not joke. After 8 months of grueling studying, blood, sweat and tears, from failure to success to failure again, after surviving one the worst months in my entire life and after a month's soul searching and life questions answering, I'm back and crazier than ever. Now I know that some of you might me confused in case you can't post a review in this chapter, but that's probably I had a post in chap 7's place in which I explained why I couldn't update the story. So if you have anything to say, comment or simply ask and can't do it from the reviews section, just send it to me via PM and I'll try my absolute best to answer you and clear any of your doubts. And now that I'm done with this little post, I wanna say one thing to everyone: if you believe in miracles, then expect a new chapter by the end of the week. As for me, I'll try to make this miracle come true.  
>And to anyone who actually read this awfully long AN, see ya later :D<br>Marvey out ;)**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 7

Naruto knew that the trip to Athiron Island would be long. He was aware of unusually hot day despite being in the middle of December. That was expected in the south of Fiore that had warm weather all year long. What he didn't see coming was that his fellow mages would be so loud even in this situation. Firstly there was Natsu's motion sickness. The poor kid had already emptied his breakfast the moment the ship started sailing and couldn't even stand ever since. The blond couldn't afford to have his partner out before the exams even started so he casted a spell called Troia on the dragon slayer which surprised the people in attendance.

"This is a simple spell actually. All you have to do is find the Sky Dragon to teach it to you." He simply said when Gray asked him how he did it. He regretted his action however as his trusty partner started fighting with Gray and he realized that the only one who could stop them was already on the island. Soon after that Macao and Wakaba, as well as Elfman, Alzack and, to his surprise, Bickslow joined the fray. He was about to step in and try to clear the chaos that would sink the ship when felt a deadly aura behind him. The blond barely got out of the way in time as an extremely angry Mirajane ran towards the brawling mages.

"Stop acting like idiots right now or I'll make you myself. Got it?" she said in a threatening voice as everyone stopped. Naruto sighed.

'Even Natsu got completely intimidated by Mira. How is anyone going to fight her if they are afraid?'

"Ahem."

Everybody turned their attention to Makarov who was standing at the top deck. The old master was sporting a summer outfit which consisted of a flowery shirt, shorts and sandals.

"Oi jiichan, what's with the getup?" Gray asked as he noticed the master's clothes.

"Dude, you should probably wear something yourself before you ask such questions." Naruto deadpanned when he saw that Gray had somehow lost his clothes once again.

"Athiron island is up ahead. As you can see-" Makarov said as he pointed at the island "there is smoke coming from the south part of the island. That's the starting point where you have to go. There, you'll find six different paths that lead inside the island. Three of them lead in the S Class mages' direction where whoever goes that path will engage in a fight with Laxus, Erza or Gildarts."

"What about the other three paths?" Alzack asked as he pointed at the magic map that Makarov was showing to them.

"Two of them lead in a confrontation. That means that two candidates and their partners will fight each other in a battle. As for the last path, that's the 'safe' path. In other words, whoever is lucky enough to cross that path will move to the next trial without having any fights at all." The guildmaster said.

'So at best there might be only one person eliminated. At worst only two will advance to the next trial. That's what Gildarts meant when he said that you can expect everything from jiichan.' Naruto thought.

'Those are the instructions for the first trial. The S Class Exams begin now!" Makarov shouted as he moved his hand in a downward arc.

"But we're still on water." Elfman pointed while most mages nodded.

'I see. Pretty smart jiichan.' Naruto, Gray and Cana thought at the same time. The master's grin only confirmed their thoughts.

"Yosh! Let's go Natsu!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed Natsu from the collar and started flying towards the island.

"Oi Naruto! That's not fair!" Elfman shouted. Naruto was ready to answer when abruptly stopped as Natsu smacked in an invisible wall.

"As expected from you, Freed Justine." The blond said just as purple symbols started appearing around the ship.

"Runes." Cana said. Overcoming their shock, the rest of the candidates and their partners looked up as the figures of Freed and Bickslow crossed through the walls as if they were never there.

"Good luck on trying to get out of the barrier for the next five minutes." Bickslow yelled at them as his puppets chorused "Five minutes! Five minutes!" To the Raijinshu member's, as well as the rest of the Fairy Tail mages surprise, another figure passed from the barriers.

"What's the matter Bickslow? Cat got your tongue?" Naruto teased as he was flying out of the barrier and close to the Raijinshu members. Freed looked stunned for a moment before he regained control of himself.

"To rewrite my runes in such a short time. You really are something Naruto-san." The green haired mage said.

"Surprising people is my specialization Freed." Naruto said with a grin before he turned to the rest of the participants.

"See you at the island." He shouted as he dashed towards the island while still holding Natsu. Freed and Bickslow soon followed.

"Since when can Naruto write runes?" Gray asked as he was still not sure on what to do.

"That selfish bastard! He rewrote the rune only for himself." Mirajane said as she angrily tried to rewrite it herself.

"No use in doing anything now." Cana said as she took out a bottle of sake. "The rune's effect will stop in two minutes anyway. He was kind for locking us in only for five minutes."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Naruto and Freed kept racing to the island. The blond was holding Natsu on one hand who was yelling "HELP ME!" while Freed and Bickslow were about to outrace him.<p>

"Sorry Natsu but a race is a race." The blond said.

"Naruto what are you…" Natsu started saying as Naruto twisted his body and threw the dragon slayer as far as he could towards the island while he turned into the wind and rushed in the same direction.

"DOING?" the dragon slayer's voice echoed as Naruto caught him again.

'So he can turn into his element like Laxus? Interesting.' Freed thought as he turned to Bickslow.

"Slow down Bickslow. They will reach the island first but we will be in a better condition." The leader of the Raijinshu said to his partner who nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>"The barrier's down!" Alzack shouted as the symbols gradually disappeared.<p>

"Finally! Let's go Lisanna." Mira said as she and her sister used Take Over magic to fly towards the island.

"Time to catch up Alzack." Gray said as he and Alzack started running.

"Sure but put some clothes on first!" the raven haired teen said to his partner.

"Can you keep up old man?" Cana asked Macao as they too started running towards the island.

"Don't worry about me Cana. Worry about the chain smoker over there." Macao replied while pointing at Wakaba.

"What was that Macao?" Wakaba replied as the two men started racing between each other.

"Men look to the matter at hand!" Elfman shouted as he easily outran all three of them and dove at the water.

"Ready Alzack?" Gray asked, dressed in a blue shirt and pants, to his partner.

"Right." Alzack said as Gray started creating a path out of ice which the two teens used to go to the island at a faster rate.

"At this rate we'll be the last to reach the island." Cana said.

"We already are!" Macao exclaimed in shock when he realized that even Wakaba and Elfman have disappeared.

* * *

><p>Naruto came at a halt as he and Natsu reached the starting point.<p>

"So this is the place." The blond said as he dropped the dragon slayer down.

"Hey. You could've warned you know." Natsu said once he got up while rubbing his back.

"Natsu." Naruto said, gaining the younger teen's attention. "Look. All the passages are open. That means we managed to get here first."

"Of course we came here first you weirdo! You really think that anyone else would throw his partner to the island by himself in order to get here faster?" Natsu yelled, making the older teen rub the back of his head in embarrassment.

"At any rate-" Naruto said, getting more serious again "since we have the advantage of time, I can search for the path that Gildarts is in."

Natsu blinked in confusion.

"You can do that? How?" he asked. Naruto gave him an eye smile.

"Trade secret." He said making the young dragon slayer pout. He then sat on the ground and took a meditative position.

'I may not be that good at tracking, but Gildarts' magic is far superior to Laxus' and Erza's so it won't be that hard to distinguish him from the others.' Naruto thought as he started concentrating. He instantly felt four big energies on the island.

'Two front left and two front right. The farthest must belong to jiichan since it's the most intense. The other close to him must be Erza. Which means that Gildarts and Laxus are at routes A to C. But which one is to where?' Natsu looked at his partner with serious face.

'I haven't seen Naruto so concentrated before. I knew that he does that for training because of his previous master but it's the first time I'm actually witnessing it. It almost looks strange.' The dragon slayer thought.

"Alright. I got it." Naruto said as he got up from his spot. "It's route C."

"You're sure?" Natsu asked as he approached the blond.

"I'm definitely sure that Gildarts is in there. Now let's go show him how stronger we've become." Naruto said as he raised his fist.

"I'm fired up!" Natsu said as both teens ran towards the third path.

'I'm coming Gildarts. It's time for our rematch!' Naruto thought as they finally reached the end of the path.

* * *

><p>As the two teens came out of the path, they were met with a blinding light.<p>

'I can't see anything.' Naruto thought.

"Naruto. Someone's here." Natsu said. As Naruto opened his eyes again, he was met with a very familiar tall figure with reddish orange hair.

"Yo Naruto, Natsu." Gildarts casually said as he greeted the two teens with a smile.

"Heh, look at that Naruto. You were actually right." Natsu said as he was grinning.

"Did you really doubt me Natsu? I'm hurt." Naruto jokingly said.

"You knew you'd run into me?" Gildarts asked though he still had the smile on his face.

"You are much stronger than Laxus and Erza Gildarts. Even if Natsu tried to look for you alone he would still get you." Naruto answered.

"That's right!" Natsu said before it hit him. "Wait what? What was that for Naruto?" He asked his partner.

"Couldn't help it man." Naruto said as he just grinned at him before he got into his fighting stance. "But now it's time to get serious." The dragon slayer nodded and got into a fighting stance.

"Yeah. I've wanted to fight Gildarts for some time now. Here I go!" he yelled as he attacked Gildarts with a flame ignited punch.

"Wait you idiot!" Naruto shouted as Gildarts effortlessly dodged Natsu's punch and grabbed him from the collar, sending him back to the ground.

"I wasn't ready yet." Gildarts calmly stated as he got into a more aggressive stance. Naruto jumped towards Natsu and tried to stop his downfall.

"Alone we can't touch him if he's serious." He said once he grabbed the dragon slayer. "Listen, I have a plan." While Naruto explained his plan to Natsu who was nodding in agreement Gildarts smiled.

'It's good to see that they are not just attacking head first. Naruto's probably waiting for this ever since we fought six months ago.' He thought as the two teens got up again. 'Let's see what you've got kids.'

"Got it now?" Naruto asked his partner.

"I told you already Naruto, I got it." Natsu replied. Both teens grinned before they got into their respective fighting stances.

"LET'S GO!" They simultaneously yell as they charge at the orange haired mage and proceed to double teaming him.

"Smart of you to double team me-" Gildarts said as he blocked the teens' attacks with his hands "but you got a long way to-" He was interrupted Natsu went for a low kick while Naruto did a left spinning kick which forced the S Class mage to catch both teens legs and spin them, thus losing his position.

'All according to plan.' Naruto thought as Gildarts threw both teens in the air.

"Naruto!"

"Right!" the blond confirmed as he dashed towards Natsu and used his force to propel the dragon slayer towards Gildarts while he himself used the wind to dash towards the S Class mage at the same time.

'So that's what they were after.' The older mage thought as he prepared to stop the incoming mages.

"Now!"

'What?'

"KARYU NO…""

"KAZE…"

"HOKO!"

"BAKUFUU!"

The two partners threw their respective breath attack, trapping Gildarts in the middle. The collision of the attack caused a great explosion.

* * *

><p>"What's that?" Erza said as she was waiting for her opponents. "This looks like a giant fire. Natsu can't possibly do that alone which means…"<p>

* * *

><p>"Naruto's already fighting someone." Bickslow said as he and Freed were walking down a more open path. "Who do you think he's fighting Freed?" the member of the Raijinshu asked his partner as an afterthought.<p>

"Who knows? But if I had to make a guess he's probably fighting…"

* * *

><p>"Gildarts."<p>

Mira stopped on her tracks.

"What was that Lisanna?" she asked her little sister.

"Naruto and Natsu are probably fighting with Gildarts. The explosion must've been from there." The younger girl of the Take Over Trio said. Mira sighed before she continued her path.

"Maybe. It could also be Erza or Gray. They tend to be destructive as well." She said in a slightly bored tone. "Why do these stairs never end?" She shouted after a while.

"Relax Mira-nee. We've been walking for some time now so I don't think there are many steps left." Lisanna said in an attempt to calm her sister. As they kept walking though she thought worriedly.

'But if that really is Natsu and Naruto fighting Gildarts, what's happening over there?'

* * *

><p>The place was shaking as Naruto and Natsu land back on the ground.<p>

'That was one crazy attack. I didn't expect it to be that destructive.' The blond thought.

"Did that do it?" the dragon slayer said as the smoke started dissipating.

"That was one crazy trick you kids pulled."

"What!?" Naruto said.

"No way." Natsu added as the two teens looked in disbelief at the completely harmless figure of their examiner.

"You guys have gone a long way from the last time I saw you fight. And your teamwork is great as well. As your supervisor I could pass you in this trial…"

"Drop it Gildarts." Naruto abruptly said, interrupting the older mage. "I want to fight you seriously. And by seriously, I mean go all out. Use your full strength. Don't stop at nothing. What I want is not only become an S Class mage, but also be strong enough to find and protect Wendy. How can I know if I'm actually strong if I don't fight the strongest at their best and survive? So I'll say it again; I want to fight you at your strongest to see how I fare against the Ace of Fairy Tail."

'Naruto. You…' Gildarts thought.

"I agree with Naruto." Natsu said. The blond turned his attention to the dragon slayer.

"Natsu?" He asked.

"I know my strength. And I know that I'll never get a chance as close as this to see you using your true strength, Gildarts!" the dragon slayer said while pointing his finger at the orange haired mage. Naruto looked Natsu with pride before he turned to Gildarts.

"Hahaha, I knew you guys would say something like that. Well, more or less." The S Class mage said as he started chuckling.

"He's finally getting serious. Natsu, get ready." Naruto said as the younger mages kept their serious face.

"I've got to warn you though." Gildarts said as he stopped chuckling. "From here on I'll be going all out. You got no other chance at backing out of this."

"Thanks for the warning Gildarts. But we are ready." Natsu said as Naruto nodded.

'I got no choice anyway. I promised Cana that I'm gonna try my hardest in the exams.' Naruto thought. Gildarts sighed as he stood across the younger mages.

"Very well then. Here goes!" The S Class mage calmly said as he started charging. Suddenly the air got heavier as the ground started trembling while cracks appeared on it.

'That's Gildarts' true strength?' Naruto thought as he gasped for air while Natsu collapsed on one knee.

'I have trouble just standing close to him.' The dragon slayer thought as he raised his head to witness the S Class mage's strength.

"Come on." Gildarts said in a low, menacing voice. His hair started going up as if defying gravity due to force while his face was hidden in the shadows, yet his eyes shone a malevolent ruby red making him look even more terrifying.

'How can we stand a chance against him?' Naruto thought as panic started taking over him as well.

* * *

><p>"It's been quiet for some time now , hasn't it?" Alzack asked as he and Gray were walking down a path surrounded by trees.<p>

"Yeah, after that explosion everything went silent. Who knows what those two idiots were doing?" Gray said.

"Naruto and Natsu? Knowing them, they've probably run into one of the S Class mages." Alzack joked before Gray raised his hand to stop him.

"Someone's here." He said in a low voice. As if to confirm his words, a figure started walking through the trees. When the figure approached them, Gray smiled.

"I see. So I'll have to fight you… Erza!" he said.

"I've been waiting for this day Gray. Show me what you've got." The redhead said as she summoned a sword and dashed at the ice mage.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** It seems that there are people who believe in miracles cause I found time to write a second chapter in the same week! Unbelievable huh? Now sorry for the cliff hanger, but I plan on going with this Fairy Tail style, with changing between scenes and stuff. So next chapter will probably not have the end of Naruto and Natsu's fight with Gildarts but instead Gray's fight as well as scenes from the others. And since I have to help my sister with some issues, the next chapter will probably take more time to be up. Now since there were some complains in the reviews I want to clear something: right now Naruto isn't much stronger than Natsu or Gray, probably at the same level with Mira and Erza who are not much stronger than the other two guys at this point. As for the romance, I repeat, there will be no harem. I'm still not sure who or if he'll end up with someone, but he does get a girl it will be only one. And lastly, I want to thank again those read this story, put it on their favorites or alert and especially those who review the chapters. It's really cool seeing your story being recognized. Until later people. Marvey out.**

**Edit: A certain guy's anonymous review made me realize something. In my attempt to clear that I have no intention to make Naruto the strongest guy force in the entire universe like some people want to say in every single story, I limited his abilities in the AN above. So, just to make things clear, and since some people clearly don't pay attention to the story because, for the last time, Naruto DOESN"T have his shinobi skills and he started from scratch. Strong, yes he will become. Able to defeat Zeref with a finger flick, no that's too much and it doesn't make any sense. Besides, apart from the last arcs in Naruto, when did Kishimoto ever gave you guys the impression that Naruto was stronger than his opponents. What saved him most times were his brains, his heart and Kurama.  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 8

"It's been quiet for some time now , hasn't it?" Alzack asked as he and Gray were walking down a path surrounded by trees.

"Yeah, after that explosion everything went silent. Who knows what those two idiots were doing?" Gray said.

"Naruto and Natsu? Knowing them, they've probably run into one of the S Class mages." Alzack joked before Gray raised his hand to stop him.

"Someone's here." He said in a low voice. As if to confirm his words, a figure started walking through the trees. When the figure approached them, Gray smiled.

"I see. So I'll have to fight you… Erza!" he said.

"I've been waiting for this day Gray. Show me what you've got." The redhead said as she summoned a sword and dashed at the ice mage.

"Good. I wanted to fight you too. Here I come!" Gray shouted as he started forming hand signs.

"ICE MAKE: LANCE!" he yelled as he threw a barrage of lances made from ice at the charging redhead who moved to the side and dodged them.

"GUNS MAGIC!" Alzack yelled as he took out his revolvers and started shooting at Erza while she dodged Gray's attack.

"REQUIP!" the S Class mage yelled as she summoned a pair of swords and started deflecting Alzack's bullets.

"ICE MAKE: HAMMER!" Gray yelled as he formed a giant hammer and threw it at Erza who smiled.

"Attacking me from two sides at the same time. Not bad." She said as she jumped high in the air.

"REQUIP! BLACK WING ARMOR!" she yelled as she was enveloped by the light of requiping. When the light dissipated she was wearing an armor which was black with silver trimming and silver crosses in several places, a revealing silver-edged breastplate and plates flanking her hips that reach down to her waistguard which leaves the front of Erza's body exposed, with her groin being covered by a dark imbuement. In addition she had large plates guarding her legs as well as two wings that have black metal "arms" acting as the wings' leading structure while the parts used to fly are composed of a membrane-like material. She now sported her hair in a ponytail. She then summoned a big black double edged sword and cut the hammer in half.

"Gray!" Alzack shouted as his partner nodded.

"I know! ICE MAKE: SWORD!" Gray yelled as he created an ice shortsword and went directly at Erza while Alzack kept her busy by shooting at her.

"You are mine, Erza!" the ice mage as he attacked the redhead who turned and engaged him.

"You thought you had an opening Gray? When fighting in a two on one situation, the person who has the disadvantage of numbers should always be alert for any coordinated attacks. If I know that then I leave no openings for my opponent." She said as the two teens fought for dominance.

"Maybe that's true, but you will never be sure until the battle rally is over." Gray said as they backed away from each other for a moment before both mages dashed forward, thus engaging in another swordfight.

'I can't risk attacking now that Gray is in such a close distance to Erza.' Alzack thought as he watched the two combatants exchange blows. 'But I'm impressed from Gray's skill. He never showed that he can match Erza's speed during our training sessions.'

As both mages jumped back to take a breath, the ground started shaking once again.

"What's happening this time?" Gray said.

"It's coming from where the explosion took place moments ago." Alzack shouted.

'Just what is happening there?' Erza thought.

* * *

><p>The ground kept shaking as Gildarts was charging. Naruto tried to get up but he found it to be hard due to the pressure that the S Class mage was unleashing.<p>

'It's like I thought it would be. His true strength is that of a beast.' He thought as he looked as Natsu. 'Natsu's not fairing much better either. This is not good.' The blond tried standing up one more as he fell to his knees.

'Damn it! Is this it already?'

_I can't wait to see you in the exams._

'Huh?' Naruto blinked.

_"So what if you're from a different world" a familiar brunette as she was laughing at the blonde's dumbfounded face._

_"I just told you that I'm not from this world. And all you do is laugh?" Naruto said as he stared at the brunette._

_"Look Naruto, I believe you." Cana said when she stopped laughing. "You do seem off in the way you handle things sometimes like when you said that you've never seen a beer before or the way you eat. At first I thought that it was because you were from a different country but one mission that I was part of and what you just said are enough to make me believe you. But I still don't see what does that have to do with anything. You're still a member of Fairy Tail and our comrade."_

_The blond didn't believe what he just heard. When Cana found him muttering about his old life in his sleep he didn't have a choice but to tell her the whole story. He expected her not to believe him, maybe call him crazy, but not accepting him that easily._

_"Thanks Cana." He said as he flashed a grin at her. Cana gave him a thumbs up as they clinked their bottles._

_"You don't have to thank me Naruto. I'll be okay if you just pay my drinks." She said as she winked at him. Naruto made a face as he saw the contents of his wallet._

_"You're killing me Cana!" He exclaimed, making the brunette laugh._

_"You should stop wearing your mask all the time Naruto. You're much more fun without it." She said as she kept laughing._

_"Nah, I think I'll keep it for now. It makes me more mysterious." The blond said as he got up from his seat and fixed the mask on his face. "Keep the change." He said to the bartender who nodded._

_"Oh. And Cana." He added as he turned back to the brunette. "See you at the exams."_

_"You got it. You're not going to be eliminated until we run into each other." She said as she flashed a grin of her own._

* * *

><p>'That's right.' Naruto thought as he opened his eyes. 'I promised Cana. It's not over yet!'<p>

'Maybe I was a little hard on them.' Gildarts thought as he was about to stop charging when he felt the wind shifting.

'What the?'

"HAAAAA!" Naruto screamed as he started charging. The wind started forming circles around him as his eyes turned completely white while the bandana was taken away by the wind. The ground below him cracked as he kept charging.

'Is that really Naruto?' Natsu thought as he got up and looked at his partner. Gildarts, on the other hand, smiled.

'That's the spirit.' He thought. The blond stopped charging as he stared at Gildarts. His eyes were still pure white and he radiated a green aura.

"It's not over yet Gildarts!" He said.

"Good. Ready to start again brat?" The older man said, the smile not leaving his face.

"Here goes!" Naruto said as he dashed towards Gildarts at an even faster pace.

'So fast.' Natsu thought. 'But will that be enough?'

The blond went for a fast punch at Gildarts' face which the S Class mage barely blocked in time, then went for an axe kick that Gildarts blocked, making the ground descend from the force.

'He's not only faster but his strikes are heavier as well.' Gildarts thought as he tried to punch the blond who easily leapt out of the way.

"KAZE BURE-DO!" Naruto yelled as he threw three blades at the red haired mage. Gildarts stretched his hand towards the swords and destroyed them with his crash magic. His eyes widened as Naruto dashed at him.

"TATSUMAKI!" the blond yelled as he turned into a tornado and stroke Gildarts right in the chest. "And-" he said as he quickly turned back to normal "KAZERYU NO JINKEN!" he yelled as he punched the older mage on the same spot, making him skid back from the force.

"Amazing! Way to go Naruto!" Natsu yelled excitedly before he stopped. "Wait. What the hell am I doing? I'm supposed to help him fight Gildarts." He added. Naruto stopped his attack as he started panting.

'I feel much better right now even though I used all this magic. What is this feeling?' he thought as he looked as his hands. He suddenly got on guard as Gildarts dashed towards him. 'Still not enough?'

"Good job." Gildarts said as he punched the blond who managed to block this time. "But you need more force in it to take me down."

'I knew it.' Naruto thought as he tried to stop skidding before he felt someone behind him.

"Gotcha." Natsu said as he caught his partner and stop his trip to the wall.

"Natsu." Naruto said in surprise as he had momentarily forgotten that the dragon slayer was there as well.

" 'What were you thinking you fool?' is what you would have told me if I charged at Gildarts alone." The dragon slayer said with a grin.

"I kinda got carried away I guess." Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head. The two teens looked at the charging Gildarts.

"I'm not letting rest this time." The S Class mage said as he was running towards the two teens.

"Naruto." Natsu said, gaining the older teen's attention. "Let's do that." The blond blinked as he got up.

'Why didn't I think of that earlier?' He thought as he caught the dragon slayer from the collar.

"Let's do this!" he shouted as he threw Natsu towards the running Gildarts.

"KAZE BAKUFUU!" the blond yelled as he threw a wind blast straight at Natsu.

"KARYU NO KENKAKU!" Natsu yelled as he ignited himself with fire which was enhanced by Naruto's wind blast. Both teens screamed as Gildarts kept running towards them with his hands raised.

'Unbelievable.' The S Class mage thought as he tried to stop the incoming Natsu with his hands.

'It's still not enough.' Naruto thought when he saw Gildarts and Natsu fighting for dominance. 'I'll have to use my trump card.' The blond charged again and dashed at Gildarts from his side with one his hands extended.

'What is this?' Gildarts thought as Natsu stopped and jumped back.

'I recognize this feeling. It's the same feeling that I got when Naruto was doing his special training.' Natsu thought as he grinned at Gildarts.

"It's finally over Gildarts." He simply said at the confused mage. Gildarts barely had time to turn as he saw Naruto right in front of him with a blue sphere in his hand.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto yelled as he slammed the blue sphere at Gildarts' gut, sending the S Class mage for real this time back.

'Good job you two.' Gildarts thought as he crushed in a wall. Naruto stood there with his hand extended before he almost fell down.

'Not yet. I got to make sure this time.' He thought as he stood up while Natsu approached him. As the smoke dissipated, the two teens saw a bruised Gildarts looking at them with a look of pride.

"That was an awesome combination you two. I think that there's no need to continue this. You pass!" He said as he smiled at them.

"We did it!" Naruto and Natsu said as they bumped fists.

"The path is open for you guys. But don't let your guard down because you passed from me. The path to becoming an S Class mage is tough and you never know what Master has prepared for you." Gildarts said.

"What about you Gildarts?" Natsu asked.

"I'll be going back to the ship. I'll see you later brats." He answered as he started walking back to the ship. Naruto smiled as he saw the older mage's retreating figure.

'That Gildarts. He could still continue. Looks like I have a long way till I'm actually able to defeat him.' The blond thought as he started walking.

"Let's go Natsu. I want to see if anyone else has passed." He said to the dragon slayer.

"Wait till Gray hears about this." Natsu said as the two teens started walking down the path.

* * *

><p>"Achoo!" Gray sneezed as he almost got cut by Erza. The ice mage clumsily jumped back to gain some distance from the redhead.<p>

"Are you alright Gray?" Alzack asked as he kept shooting at Erza who simply dodged or blocked his bullets.

"I'm fine Alzack. Don't lose focus." He said at his partner who nodded and kept shooting.

'That was a close one. We've been at a deadlock ever since the trembling stopped. That means one of the battles is over so I can't waste anymore time. But what can I do now?' the ice mage thought before his eyes widened.

'Maybe that could work.'

"Alzack, ready that move!" he yelled at his partner.

"But I haven't mastered it yet! It will take some time to be prepared." The cowboy said.

"I'll give you enough time. Just do it!" Gray answered before he slammed his hands on the ground.

"ICE MAKE: GEYSER!" he yelled as ice spikes started forming in front of him with a direct route to Erza. The redhead was surprised as she flied upwards to dodge the attack. She looked up to see Gray come at her.

"ICE MAKE: SCYTHE!" he yelled as he threw an ice scythe at the requip mage.

"REQUIP!" Erza yelled as she summoned a zanbatō and destroyed the scythe.

"I'm still not done!" Gray said as he dashed at Erza with an ice cased punch.

"Resorting to hand to hand combat Gray?" Erza said as she dodged the punch and aimed for a kick to Gray's back. However, as she connected with the ice mage, she was shocked when the body broke into debris of ice.

'An ice doppelgänger?' she thought before she looked up to see a cage coming down to her with Gray on top of it.

"ICE MAKE: PRISON!" the ice mage said as he jumped to the ground.

"Ice Make, Prison?" The redhead repeated before a smile crept up on her face. "I see. In that case." She said as she started glowing.

"REQUIP! PURGATORY ARMOR!" She yelled as she changed into a black armor which was covered in spikes. Her hair became styled in very prominent spikes pointing outwards in every direction, with her right eye being covered by it and a shadow obscuring the upper part of her face giving her the impression of being demon like. She was holding a black giant jagged sword in her left hand.

"This Purgatory Armor is the strongest in my arsenal. With this I'll be able to destroy the cage."

'Hurry up Alzack. I don't want to make this even worse.' Gray as he readied himself.

"Here I come! Ha!" Erza yelled as she cut the cage with one sweep.

"I'm ready Gray!" Alzack yelled as he pointed his guns at the redhead.

"Do it!" Gray shouted as he formed hand seals.

"GUNS MAGIC! SUNLIGHT SHOT!" The dark haired mage yelled as he shot a series of rounds at Erza which exploded when they were in her range.

'I can't see.' Erza thought as she dropped her guard.

"Now! ICE CANNON!" Gray yelled as he created an ice bazooka and shot Erza from a close distance. As the light dissipated, Erza was laying on the ground with a shocked expression.

"I lost." She said when she saw a hand in front of her.

"You're kidding me Erza?" Gray jokingly said as he helped her get up. "If we were fighting one on one you would defeat me again." He added as he smiled at her. Erza still looked surprised before she smiled as well.

"You've gotten stronger Gray. Maybe you could defeat me on your own." She said before she turned to the approaching Alzack.

"You've gotten stronger too Alzack. Bisca is lucky to have a partner like you."

Alzack blushed as he rubbed his head.

"You think so?" he asked. Erza's smile deepened at that.

'Oh? That's something worth noticing.' She thought as she turned to the path's direction.

"Shall we continue?" she asked the two dark haired mages.

"Yeah. Let's go." Gray said as the three Fairy Tail mages walked down the path.

* * *

><p>"The trembling stopped." Lisanna said.<p>

"It's been some time since the explosion Lisanna. The fight is probably over already." Mira said as she kept walking. "And I can't believe we are still climbing those stairs!" She added as she waved her hands in the air in exasperation.

"I'm sure they'll be done any moment now Mira-nee." Lisanna said though she herself had started believing that they were indeed neverending. "On the bright side maybe they are many because that's the safe route." The younger girl added in an attempt to calm her sister.

"I don't want the safe route! I want to fight Erza!" Mira said before she brightened. "Finally they're done!" She said as she started running.

"Wait Mira-nee." Lisanna said as she started running as well. When Mira almost reached the top of the stairs, however, she stopped in surprise.

"Well, well, looks like I got lucky."

'That voice.' Lisanna thought. Mira smirked as she stared at the figure in front of her.

"Laxus." She said.

"This should be a good way to pass time. Let's fight, Mirajane!" the tall blond said as he started charging with electricity.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note: <span>****And I'm done with half the first round of the exams. Not sure how the fight with Gray and Alzack against Erza came out as all three of them are pretty hard to write in a battle. I mean, we haven't seen much of Alzack and Gray and Erza keep improvising in every battle they are in. So I'd like you to tell me how did I go with this so that I can improve. Also, I hope those who thought that Naruto looked weak in the previous chapters will be satisfied by the of his fight. I've thought of like a gazillion different ways on how to go with this and this one seems like the best at the moment, or at least that's what I believe for now.  
>In addition, there are two things that I want to say to you the readers. Firstly, I'd prefer if you didn't leave anonymous reviews because I can't explain to you my motives and my reasons behind things that you don't like, you feel me? Secondly, I'll post a small poll on my site about the three remaining teams which are Cana and Macao, Elfman and Wakaba and Freed and Bickslow. I don't want to have a repeat of the X784 S Class trials and have Freed against Cana but I'm open for the other potential fights. Anyway, enough talking. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter because it was fun and challenging for me to write it. Until later. Marvey out.<strong>


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 9

"The trembling stopped." Lisanna said.

"It's been some time since the explosion Lisanna. The fight is probably over already." Mira said as she kept walking. "And I can't believe we are still climbing those stairs!" She added as she waved her hands in the air in exasperation.

"I'm sure they'll be done any moment now Mira-nee." Lisanna said though she herself had started believing that they were indeed neverending. "On the bright side maybe they are many because that's the safe route." The younger girl added in an attempt to calm her sister.

"I don't want the safe route! I want to fight Erza!" Mira said before she brightened. "Finally they're done!" She said as she started running.

"Wait Mira-nee." Lisanna said as she started running as well. When Mira almost reached the top of the stairs, however, she stopped in surprise.

"Well, well, looks like I got lucky."

'That voice.' Lisanna thought. Mira smirked as she stared at the figure in front of her.

"Laxus." She said.

"This should be a good way to pass time. Let's fight, Mirajane!" the tall blond said as he started charging with electricity.

"You are going down!" Mira said as she dashed at the older mage. Laxus laughed as he started concentrating lightning in his hands.

"THUNDER BULLETS!" He yelled as he started shooting bullets made of lightning at the incoming white haired girl.

"Watch out Mira-nee!" Lisanna shouted.

"TAKE OVER! SATAN SOUL!" Mira yelled as her whole body was covered by square-shaped scales-like parts. When the scales disappeared, she released her wings and flew high, dodging the lightning mage's attacks. She then dove directly towards Laxus.

"EVIL SPARK!" she yelled as her hands started channeling electricity. She then tried to grab the blond while Laxus simply jumped back, making Mira hit the floor.

"Did you really think that you can hit me with lightning? Get real Mirajane." The S Class mage mockingly said as he slammed his hand to the ground.

"LIGHTING ERUPTION!" he yelled as lightning was shot from the ground directly below Mira.

'From the ground too?' Mira thought as she barely dodged the lightning before she was punched to the gut by Laxus.

"Girl or not, I can't let weaklings advance in the exam. Don't expect me to go easy on you Mirajane." The lightning mage said as he proceeded with an elbow aiming for Mira's face. To his surprise, Mira managed to twist her body back and countered his hit with a kick to his gut.

"I never asked you to go easy on me, Laxus! EVIL PUSH!" the white haired girl yelled as she threw as stream of darkness at Laxus' face from point blank, causing a blast that sent both of them back.

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna shouted as she turned into a green bird and flew towards her sister in order to cut her force.

"You wench!" Laxus shouted as he came out of the smoke with one his hands enhanced with lightning. Lisanna's eyes widened as she started flying upwards in order to dodge the older mage's attacks.

"Lisanna!" Mira shouted so that her sister can hear her. "Let me fight Laxus. It's dangerous for you here!"

"I'm not leaving you Mira-nee! I said that I'll help you become an S Class mage!" Lisanna responded as she kept flying up.

"What's the matter Mirajane? Are you running away?" Laxus asked as he kept closing the distance while mocking the elder girl of the Take Over Trio.

"What was that Laxus?" Mira angrily shouted as she dashed towards the blond mage.

"That's more like it!" Laxus responded as the two Fairy Tail mages started exchanging blows.

'Mira-nee is evenly fighting Laxus? No that's not right, Laxus is obviously stronger right now.' Lisanna thought as she worriedly looked at the lightning mage slowly gaining the upper hand.

"Is that all the demon Mirajane can really do?" Laxus mocked as he started landing some hits on the white haired girl's body.

"Shut up!" Mira shouted as she channeled lightning once again in her hands and managed to punch Laxus in the chest.

'What? I felt that punch just now. How much lightning did she use?' he thought as Mira smirked.

"You shouldn't let your guard down Laxus. DEMON BLAST!" she yelled as she fired a ball of dark energy at the lightning mage who dodged by transforming into lightning and dashing away from the blast.

'He dodged?' Mira thought as Laxus came at her from behind with a left kick that she managed to block with one of her armed hands.

"Not bad Mirajane. I think I can start seeing why jiji has high hopes of you." He said as he jumped back to the ground. "But that's still not enough for me!" he added as he raised his fist in the air.

"Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction! RAIGING BOLT!" Laxus yelled as he fired a giant bolt of lightning at the white haired mage. Mira's eyes widened before she started gathering energy between her hands.

"SOUL EXTINCTION!" she yelled as she fired a large transparent globe at the bolt. The two massive attacks collided, creating an explosion much bigger than anything before which shook the entire attack.

* * *

><p>"What's that?" Natsu asked as the two teens turned their attention to the direction of the explosion.<p>

"That's Mira's magic? But who is she fighting?" Naruto said as he closed his eyes in order to concentrate. His eyes widened as he realized Mira's opponent.

'That's…'

* * *

><p>"Laxus got serious?" Erza wondered as the three Fairy Tail mages looked towards the explosion.<p>

"Wait. So you mean to tell me that Mira-chan is fighting Laxus?" Gray asked with an incredulous look.

"Most likely. This seems like something Mirajane would do if she fought with such a strong opponent." Erza said as she nodded.

"And if we fought you then that means…" Gray started as Alzack finished his sentence.

"Natsu and Naruto must have fought with Gildarts if the shaking and explosions came from the same place." He said. 'We were probably lucky for running into Erza after all.' The dark haired teen thought.

'If Naruto and Mirajane manage to pass from the two of them, then this exam might have more than one promotion.' Erza thought before she turned to her fellow guildmates.

"Let's move on." She said as Gray and Alzack nodded.

* * *

><p>"It looks like Laxus is having fun." Bickslow said as his dolls shouted in unison "Fun! Fun!"<p>

"Who do you think he's fighting?" he then added as he turned to Freed.

"Who knows? Besides Mirajane I don't think there's anyone else who can make Laxus fight more seriously." The green haired mage answered as he kept walking.

"What about that new guy? He did rewrite your runes." Bickslow asked.

"Naruto-san? I don't know how he managed to do that but I don't think he can stand a chance against Laxus even if he teams up with Natsu." Freed calmly responded as he pointed at the distance.

"Look Bickslow. The end of the path." He said as Bickslow grinned.

"Hehehe! It looks like why are lucky." He said as they reached the end of the path.

* * *

><p>"Did you feel that Wakaba? Nee-chan is fighting already." Elfman said.<p>

"So we won't run into her after all. Phew." Wakaba said as he let out a breath in relief.

"It's not manly to run away from an opponent Wakaba. If you are a man, you're not afraid of anyone." The white haired teen said before he squinted his eyes.

"I see someone approaching. Now let's fight like true men!" He shouted as he got ready to fight.

"Men? Is your eyesight damaged or something Elfman?" Cana said with confusion as she and Macao came into sight.

"So I run into you Wakaba?" Macao said as he stopped walking.

"Sorry Cana-chan. But I have a score to settle with this old man here." Wakaba said as he took out his pipe.

"So it's you Cana." Elfman said as he grinned. "Let's fight to see who's more of a man! TAKE OVER! BEAST SOUL!" He added as he transformed his arm into that of a reptile-looking beast, covered in scales and sporting sharp claws and ran towards the brunette.

"What's with you randomly yelling about men?" Cana said as she took out her pack of cards and started throwing card shuriken at the incoming white haired mage.

"MAN!" Elfman yelled as he punched away the cards and kept running.

"LIGHTNING! REVERSE TOWER! LOVERS!" Cana yelled as she took out three cards and threw them at the big man. "JOLT OF FATE!" she added as the cards fused and turned into a lightning bolt that went through Elfman, electrocuting him in the process. At the same time Macao and Wakaba started fighting between each other.

"PURPLE RAIN!" Macao yelled as he threw a barrage of fire shots at the smoke mage who dissipated into smoke.

"What?" the fire mage said in a surprised tone as Wakaba appeared behind him with a serious expression.

"You are too careless Macao. You should be more wary of your surroundings if you wanna help Cana-chan become an S Class mage. SMOKE CRUSH!" the brown haired mage said as he shot smoke from his pipe directly at Macao who smiled.

"I knew it was a clone Wakaba." He said as he jumped back to dodge the smoke.

"How did you know?" Wakaba asked in confusion.

"I know you all too well my friend." Macao answered as he engulfed his hands in purple fire and brought them over his head.

"PURPLE BEAM!" he yelled as he unleashed the beam at Wakaba.

"Damn it! I lost to you again Macao." The smoke mage said as he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Wakaba!" Elfman shouted when he saw his partner going down before he turned his hand into a metallic one to block Cana's cards.

"You're getting careless Elfman!" Cana shouted as she threw multiple ice bullets as the take over mage.

"BEAST ARM! BLACK BULL!" Elfman yelled as he stopped the bullets and charged once again at the brunette.

"Got you!" Cana said as she threw the cards of Heaven, Reverse Death and Mountain.

"SUMMONED LIGHTNING!" she yelled as Elfman stepped in her circular trap.

"I lost. Most unmanly." Elfman said as he was struck by the lightning and was rendered unconscious too.

"I did it." Cana said in excitement as Macao gave her a thumbs up.

"Let's go now that the path is…" Macao started but stopped when they felt a tremor.

"Such intensity. Someone's still fighting." Cana said as the two standing mages looked at each other before they quickly ran towards the exit.

'Nee-chan.' Elfman thought with concern.

* * *

><p>The explosion created a big wave of air to flow in the area as Lisanna was trying not to get completely overwhelmed from the force.<p>

'Mira-nee used one of her strongest attacks to stop Laxus' one. Just how strong was his attack?' She thought as the cloud started dissipating, revealing both Laxus and Mira panting.

'Amazing. His bolt was as powerful as my sphere.' Mira thought as she kept panting before she dashed at Laxus once again.

"I'm still not done!" She shouted as she raised her fist and aimed for Laxus' face.

"Don't get cocky because you stopped that, Mirajane! LIGHTNING STORM!" Laxus said as he created a sphere of electricity between his hands which started spewing lightning as the two mages engaged in another exchange of blows.

'This will never end before both of them get more hurt.' Lisanna thought worriedly as she looked at her sister's all out fight with a fellow guildmember. 'I have to do something.'

At the same time Mira dashed back as she stood above the ocean.

'So there is someone inside of Fairy Tail besides Erza and the old geezer that's worthy.' Laxus thought as he stared at Mira. The white haired girl started gathering dark energy between her palms once again as Laxus grinned.

'What now?' the blond mage thought before his eyes widened.

"Argh! I had completely forgotten about you." Laxus said as Lisanna came at him from the side and slashed him with her claws.

"ANIMAL SOUL!" the young girl yelled as her hands and lower body transformed into bird like limbs. "Sorry Laxus, but the fight has to end before both you and Mira-nee get more hurt." She said before she flew away before the blond man caught her.

"Thank you, Lisanna." Mira shouted before she pointed the sphere at Laxus.

'Shit!'

"EVIL EXPLOSION!" Mira yelled as shot a dark beam at the exposed Laxus. As the beam approached Laxus, the blond gave a small smile.

'Look at that. The great Laxus was defeated by a little girl's concern for her sister.' He thought as he was overwhelmed by the beam. As Mira landed on the ground she ceased her transformation while Lisanna ran towards her.

"Mira-nee! Are you alright?" she said when she reached her older sister.

"I'm fine Lisanna. But what you did was reckless. You could get seriously injured there." Mira said in a scolding tone which Lisanna knew was only because she was worried for her.

"It's ok Mira-nee. I managed to help you like I promised I would, didn't I?" the younger girl said with a smile. Mira couldn't help but smile too.

'Lisanna.'

"Urgh." Laxus grunted as he slowly got up.

"Laxus." Mira said with a serious expression as she turned her attention to him.

"Congratulations, you passed. Now move." The blond bitterly said as he moved out of the way.

"Laxus! Where are you going?" Lisanna asked. She didn't like Laxus' reaction at all.

"Back to the ship." Was the blonde's only response as he left.

"What a douche." Mira said as she stared at Laxus' back.

"Mira-nee, that was mean." Lisanna said.

"What? I'm just saying." Mira answered before she sighed. "Let's just go. I still have to become an S Class mage." She added as Lisanna nodded happily. As they started walking however, the young girl looked worriedly at the direction Laxus went.

'Laxus.'

* * *

><p>"The path is too long Naruto."<p>

"It's the only the path we could follow Natsu."

"We've walking for hours!"

"It's only been a couple of minutes Natsu."

"Well that's a lot time Naruto. Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO NATSU!"

"…"

"…"

"Are we there yet?"

"I can see a clearing up ahead. Does that answer your question?"

"FINALLY!" Natsu yelled as he started running towards the exit. Naruto just sighed at his partner's antiques.

* * *

><p>"Hehehe! It looks like why are lucky." Cana heard someone say as the figures of Freed and Bickslow appeared in one of the exits.<p>

"What a coincidence. You guys came out the same time we did." Macao said when Freed and Bickslow came closer to the camp.

"You won Cana?" Freed asked with mild interest.

"Oh?" Cana exclaimed as she raised an eyebrow. "How are you so sure that I wasn't in the safe route?"

"Because we were on that." Bickslow said while his dolls said in unison "Safe! Safe!"

"Lucky pick huh?" Macao said.

"So you guys defeated Elfman and Wakaba right?" Erza said as she came in view.

"Erza?" Cana said in surprise. "You're done too? Who did you defeat?"

"Actually, we defeated her." Gray said with a huge grin as everyone was surprised from the statement.

"You defeated Erza?" Macao said in disbelief.

"Crazy huh? But it's true." Alzack said.

"Nice one Gray. Let's fight when we return to the guild." Bickslow said. Gray was about to talk when they heard a familiar voice.

"FINALLY!" Natsu yelled as he appeared from one of the exits with a sighing Naruto following him.

"Natsu? And Naruto?" Gray said in confusion before he shakingly pointed his hand at them.

"If you guys are here then that means…" He stuttered as Macao finished his sentence.

"You defeated Laxus or Gildarts?"

"Gildarts." Natsu said as he kept grinning, making everyone's jaws drop to the floor while Erza and Freed looked utterly shocked.

'That's unreal. They managed to defeat Gildarts?' Cana thought as she looked at the excited Natsu and surprisingly calm Naruto. The blond turned towards her direction as he gave her a thumbs up pose. She grinned at him as the rest of the mages revived from their shock.

"So only Mirajane is missing." Natsu pointed out before he thought. "She fighting with Laxus. I have to see this." He added before he started towards a different route.

"Oi flame brain, you can't just go to a different route." Gray yelled at the rose haired dragon slayer.

"What was that ice cube?" Natsu returned immediately as the two teens started fighting again.

"Gray. Natsu. You shouldn't fight now that everyone is tired." Lisanna said as she appeared out of nowhere. The two teens stopped fighting and rubbed their heads in embarrassment.

"Sorry Lisanna." Natsu said before everyone realized that Lisanna was Mira's partner.

"Lisanna! Where's Mira?" Naruto asked.

"What's all this ruckus?" Mira said as she appeared next to Cana.

'Where do they come from?' Alzack thought as he sweatdropped.

"Mira-chan defeated Laxus? How?" Gray said in utter shock. Lisanna giggled.

"I helped her." She said with pride.

"You did? You are amazing Lisanna!" Natsu said as the white haired girl blushed.

"Thank you Natsu." The white haired girl said.

"I see everyone has gathered here." Makarov said as he arrived with Elfman, Wakaba and Gildarts. Cana looked at Gildarts with a sad expression which was not missed by Naruto.

"Nee-chan passed?" Elfman said with tears of pride on his eyes as Mira nodded at him with one of her rare smiles.

"Where is Laxus?" Natsu said out of nowhere.

"He returned to the city." Makarov simply said though he was looking concerned. 'That kid.' He thought but then pushed the thought to his mind and cleared his throat.

"The first trial of this year's S Class Trial Exams is over. The results are: Mirajane and Lisanna defeated from Laxus. Cana and Macao defeated Elfman and Wakaba. Gray and Alzack defeated Erza. Freed and Bickslow passed through the safe route. And finally, Naruto and Natsu passed from Gildarts somehow."

As the candidates, partners and S Class mages looked at their guildmaster, Makarov cleared his throat once again in order to proceed.

"I'm about to explain the second trial now. In the inland of Athiron island there's a temple. That temple has been here since before guilds were created and a maze has been designed by the creators of it to prevent access to strangers. Your mission will be to get in from different routes and manage to find your way to the temple which is located at the top of the mountain. There are two rules only: one, you can't start breaking walls to get to the temple. There are some things that you'd rather avoid. And two, only the candidates are going in this time. This trial is not to test your teamwork but other values that someone should have to become an S Class mage. And lastly, there's the possibility that you might run into each other so fights are possible. Do you understand?"

As Makarov finished his explanation, he let the information sink in their heads.

"This is goodbye for now then." Naruto said to Natsu who was pouting.

"No fair! Why do only the candidates go in the maze?" The rose haired dragon slayer asked.

"Because the exam's purpose is to mainly test them Natsu. Maybe next year you'll be a candidate." Erza said with a smile.

"So, we go in there, cross a maze filled with who knows what there, reach the temple and we advance?" Cana said as she looked unusually serious.

"I'll see you in Gray." Naruto said as he looked at the ice mage.

"We'll have our duel in there after all." Gray returned as he grinned.

"Let's get this over with." Mira said as she bumped her fists in anticipation.

"The path to becoming an S Class mage is in there." Freed said.

"Are you ready?" Makarov asked as the five mages nodded. "The second trial starts now!" he said as the five mages ran towards the entrance of the maze.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note: <span>****I'm on fire! I sat on the computer some hours ago thinking "so I'll come up with some ideas for the rest of the fights and write it tomorrow. And now I find myself finishing the chapter while it's like midnight here. So I really don't know how that came out, if the fights were good, if the characters were in character or even if this whole thing makes one bit of a sense. The fun thing is that the poll ended in a tie so I ended up with what I originally thought. As for the second trial, it really came to me as an idea just now when I writing it. It will be challenging to write this, but then again I like a good challenge. Anyway, tell me what do you guys think about this. I had fun writing it and I hope you'll have fun reading it. As always, don't forget to review and tell me what you think about the plot progression, the fights etc. And just for the fun, I'll post a poll on whether you guys want Naruto to fight someone from the remaining candidates and who. I'm curious as to what you guys think. Until later. Marvey out.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 10

"No fair! Why do only the candidates go in the maze?" The rose haired dragon slayer asked.

"Because the exam's purpose is mainly to test them Natsu. Maybe next year you'll be a candidate too." Erza said with a smile.

"So, we go in there, cross a maze filled with who knows what there, reach the temple and we advance?" Cana said as she looked unusually serious.

"See you in Gray." Naruto said as he looked at the ice mage.

"We'll have our duel in there after all." Gray returned as he grinned.

"Let's get this over with." Mira said as she bumped her fists in anticipation.

"The path to becoming an S Class mage is in there." Freed said.

"Are you ready?" Makarov asked as the five mages nodded. "The second trial starts now!" he said as the five mages ran towards the entrance of the maze.

"Since this is race-" Gray said as he slammed his hands to the ground "ICE MAKE: FLOOR!" he yelled as the entire road was frozen, making it hard to cross.

"I'll see you guys at the temple!" the ice mage shouted as he started sliding with no problem.

"Damn that Gray." Mira said as she activated her Take Over and flew to the entrance of the maze. Freed didn't comment on that as he simply slid in the ice without any trouble.

'Freed can slide with no problem?' Naruto thought before he realized that he had trouble maintaining his balance.

"At this rate we're not even going to get in." Cana said as she too had trouble to stand.

"In that case-" the blond mage said as he started glowing. As the light dissipated, he was sporting an orange black ice skating equipment and an iron half mask on the lower part of his face.

"Let's go!" He shouted as he started sliding at a fast pace, going past Freed and Gray as left a cloud of smoke behind.

"How did he do that now?" Gray said as he started going faster followed by a seemingly calm Freed.

"That Naruto, he has a solution for everything." Cana said as she kept trying to go to the entrance.

* * *

><p>"Finally I'm here." Mira said as she entered the maze. The white haired girl deactivated her transformation as she started walking ahead while looking at the walls.<p>

"This looks more like a cave so far. I don't understand what the point of this trial is. The first trial obviously tested strength and teamwork, hence the partners and the fights. This one thought, I don't get." She said as he kept walking when reached a dead end.

"Are you kidding me?" She said before she noticed some figures on the wall.

**Mountains will crumble and temples will fall and no man can survive its endless call. What is it?**

"A riddle? I see. This trial tests our intelligence" Mira said as realization hit her. "Let me see now. Mountains will crumble and temples will fall and no man can survive its endless call. What could that mean?" the white haired girl wondered as she started thinking.

'It's obviously referring to distortions, the words 'crumble' and 'fall' indicate that. And no man can survive its endless call? What could that mean?' she thought as she tried to put the pieces together.

* * *

><p>"Crystals?" Naruto said in confusion as he was walking through the path that he entered.<p>

'This place keeps getting weirder and weirder.' The blond thought before he jumped back as a vulcan tried to smash him.

"Human fast. Human not survive next time." The vulcan said as it started running towards Naruto.

"Mountain vulcans here?" Naruto said as he dodged the beast's punch again.

"I have no time for this." The blond said as he dashed towards the white beast.

"Human stupid for attacking." The vulcan said as it tried to punch Naruto one more time.

"Out of my way! KAZERYU NO JINKEN!" Naruto yelled as he punched the vulcan in the face, sending it to the wall and causing a minor shake to the place. Naruto sighed as he lowered his mask.

"What a place. Jiichan must be laughing his ass off right now at the idea of us going through this." The blond said as started walking again.

* * *

><p>"A gap?" Gray said as he stared at the huge canyon in front of him.<p>

"That's really deep." He said as he inspected the gap between the two roads.

"No choice then." The raven haired teen said as he smiled.

"ICE MAKE: BRIDGE!" he yelled as he slammed his hand to the ground and created a path that connected the two roads. To his surprise, as soon as the ice connected with the ground it disassembled as the ice rose in the air and formed letters.

**This is as light as a feather yet no man can hold it for long. What is it?**

"A riddle?" Gray said as he looked at the sentence that was formed from his magic.

'So if I don't answer this I can't continue. I see, that's what jiichan meant by other values. An S Class mage is not only strong, but smart as well.' The ice mage thought before he looked at the riddle again.

"The answer is my breath." Gray said. For a moment nothing happened as the ice letters just stood in the air. Then suddenly the letters disassembled once again and formed the bridge that Gray had created earlier.

"I guess that means I was correct." Gray said as he sighed in relief. He then started crossing the bridge.

"I wonder if anyone else got it." The raven haired teen said as he entered another cave.

* * *

><p>"What's with this place? It gives me the creeps." Cana said as she kept descending. "The temple is supposed to be at the top of the mountain. Then why do I keep going down?" The brunette asked to herself before she noticed a light in the distance. Smiling, she started running towards the light.<p>

"Finally, a way out." She said as she kept running. When she reached the end, however, her smile turned into a frown.

"What's this?" she said as she stared at the locked gate. As she looked around, she realized what was going on.

"I see. A puzzle huh? I am in a maze after all." She said as she started inspecting the pieces.

"So I put this here and this there and I'm done." She said as she turned the last piece.

"Now to pull the lever." She said as she grinned. However, when she turned the lever, she rolled out of the way as a volley or arrows was shot at her.

"KYAAH!" the brunette screamed as she took out the arrows with her card shuriken.

"What was that?" she shouted before she noticed that the gate was still closed.

"I guess this is what happens if you don't make a mistake in the puzzle." She said as she nervously laughed before she started solving it again.

* * *

><p>"I got it! The correct answer is time." Mira said as she wrote the word on the boulder. The letters glowed as the boulder moved upwards, revealing a new path.<p>

"Yosh, I can do this!" Mira said excitedly as she started walking again.

* * *

><p>"This place is different from the rest of the island. Even the magic feels different here." Naruto said as he kept walking in the crystal cave. The blond had faced more vulcans as he kept walking down the path.<p>

'This is odd. Jiichan said that this trial does not test teamwork. That I get. But I'm pretty sure that our strength was tested since we either fought one of the S Class mages or another candidate. So what does that trial test?' he thought when he stopped on his tracks.

"I see. A different value that makes one a good mage huh?" Naruto said as he stared at the magical barrier.

"There's something written on the barrier." The blond noticed as he inspected the writing.

**I am a thing there beside you in the light but not when dark. I am your friend, don't be alarmed. What am I?**

"A thing beside you in the light but not when dark?" Naruto repeated as he smiled. "I am your friend, don't be alarmed. I know this one. My shadow." The blond said as the barrier was dissolved.

'Perception and intelligence. You thought of everything, didn't you Jiichan?' Naruto thought as he continued walking.

'The light is getting stronger. Did I finally find a way out of the cave?'

* * *

><p>"This place is fascinating." Freed said as he was watching at the writings on the wall while walking.<p>

'So far I've ran into some creatures and runes. Master was right, these caves are heavily guarded. Who knows what is hidden in the temple?' the green haired mage thought as he noticed something on the wall.

'I see. If I decipher this…' Freed continued as he used his sword to solve the runes. Suddenly, some of the letters started glowing as they moved in a pattern. When they stopped, a sentence was formed.

**I am the killer of trees but people need me. I can be blown away by a breeze and I have been here since the ancient times. What am I?**

'A riddle? That must mean I'm getting closer to the temple. On the other hand it could be a trap. Nevertheless…' Freed thought as he formed the answer with his sword.

**Paper**

When he finished, the word levitated in the air and stuck to the wall. As the entire wall glowed, Freed closed his eyes because of the light. When he opened them again he gave a small smile as the wall had disappeared.

"As I thought." The green haired mage said as he crossed the path to find himself at a clearing.

* * *

><p>"I get it. It's like a food chain. Now if I turn this here-" Cana said as she turned the pillars "and that here. Yosh, this should do it." She finished as she pulled the lever. The brunette grinned as the gate opened.<p>

"This is the third test that I solved. The end of this maze shouldn't be far from here." She said before she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The brunette took out her cards as she got ready for the encounter.

* * *

><p>"Man I've been walking for hours. I hope something exciting happens, I don't care what." Mira said as she got out of a path to a clearing.<p>

"I'm starting to think that the master just send us in here to toy with us." She said as she kept walking. Unknown to her, she passed the place where Cana was hiding.

'So it was Mira? Master did tell us that we might run into each other.' The brunette thought as she looked at the white haired girl.

"Huh?" Mira said as she turned to the direction of Cana. The brunette quickly hid herself again.

"I thought I saw someone there. Must be my imagination." She said before she continued walking. When she was out of earshot, Cana let out a breath.

"Phew. That was close. Fighting Mira is not the best thing to do right now." The brunette said as she came out of her hiding spot. "Now let's see, which path should I take?" she added as she noticed that there were three different roads. 'This place really is a maze.' She thought as she went through the left path.

* * *

><p>"To think that I would have to climb to follow a path while being in a cave. I'm starting to think that jiichan is testing our survival skills as well." Naruto said as he finished climbing. "Follow that path Naruto. The light is brighter Naruto. What was I thinking? And I couldn't use magic to go up because of the wrong answer that I gave to that riddle." The blond said as he got up and started walking, all while still muttering to himself.<p>

"Naruto?"

The blond turned to his right to notice Gray looking at him.

"Gray? Where did you come from?" the blond asked in confusion.

"From there." the raven haired mage said as he pointed at a path to Naruto's right. "Where did you come from?" he then asked while emphasizing the word 'you'.

'That's close to where I came from. Which mean that if I wasn't wrong with that riddle I would run into Gray at an earlier point.' He thought as he grinned. 'Good thing I wore my mask before I started climbing.'

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that we can have our match now." The blond said as he adopted a fighting stance.

"Yeah. There is no one around to stop us this time." Gray said as he took a stance. He quickly formed the signs as he slammed his fist to the other hand.

"ICE MAKE: LANCE!" he yelled as he threw ice lances at the blond who slammed his palms.

"PAAMU SUTORAIKI!" Naruto yelled as his hands were enveloped with wind magic. He then dashed towards the lances and destroyed them with his palms.

'This move is still incomplete but it's enough to stop Gray's lances for now.' The blond thought as he lowered his mask for a moment.

"KAZE BAKUFUU!" Naruto yelled as he threw a wind blast at Gray.

"ICE MAKE: COCOON!" the ice mage yelled as he created a cocoon of ice around him to stop the blast. As the blast connected, the cocoon shattered, but Gray was nowhere to be found.

'Where did he go?' Naruto thought as he scanned the area.

"There!"

The blond barely managed to summon a sword and turn around to block Gray's ice sword.

"You are faster than before Gray." Naruto said as he engaged in a lockdown with the ice mage.

"Same goes for you Naruto." Gray said as he jumped back.

"ICE MAKE: HAMMER!" the ice mage said while in mid air as he threw the giant hammer at the blonde's direction. The blond deactivated the sword and jumped towards the hammer.

"KAZERYU NO JINKEN!" Naruto yelled as he crashed the hammer and dashed at the ice mage.

"ICE MAKE: GEYSER!" Gray yelled as he slammed his hands to the ground, causing an ice river of spikes to descend towards the charging blond.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed as he went higher to dodge the spikes. "KAZE BURE-DO!" he yelled as he threw two wind blades to the ground, destroying Gray's attack.

"Here I come Gray!" the blond yelled as he came down with a dropkick that the ice mage dodged. Wasting no time, the blond used the ground as a rebound and went for a right hook which Gray barely dodged.

"You are open." Gray said as he punched Naruto in his exposed stomach. The blond grunted before he headbutted the ice mage. He then jumped back and lowered his mask once again.

"KAZE…"

"Not this time!" Gray interrupted Naruto as he punched him with an ice punch. As Naruto was sent back however, he backflip-kicked the raven haired mage in the face. The ice mage just backflipped too as he landed to the ground while rubbing his chin while Naruto simply wore his mask back, though he still looked groggy.

"Not bad Gray. I can see how you defeated Erza." The blond said as he regained his fighting stance.

"I wouldn't be able to defeat her if it wasn't for my partner. Next time I'll defeat her with my own strength." Gray said with a serious face. "You are a different story though. If you passed from Gildarts, even with Natsu's help, that still means you should on a different level than me. So why don't you go all out with me?" the ice mage added as he took his fighting stance. "You wanted a duel, didn't you? Why aren't you serious about it?"

Naruto didn't have time to react as suddenly the two teens were surrounded by purple symbols.

"Runes?" Gray asked while Naruto looked to his left.

"Freed." He said as the green haired mage came into view.

"To be an S Class mage you need to constantly be aware of your surroundings. You two might defeated Erza and Gildarts but you are still not good enough to become Fairy Tail's S Class mages." The leader of the Raijinshu said as the runes exploded.

* * *

><p>"It looks like the others have run into each other." Cana said as she kept walking. She stopped on her tracks when she noticed that Mira was in front of her.<p>

"I knew that someone was at the clearing before." Mira said as she smirked.

"Can't get away from you twice I guess." Cana said as she grinned.

"This should be interesting." Mira said. "In order to be on the same level as Erza I have to defeat you here, Cana."

"I have my own reasons for becoming an S Class mage." Cana said as she took out her cards.

"I won't let you use your cards!" Mira said as she dashed at the brunette. To her surprise, Cana sidestepped and landed a kick to the take over mage's ribs.

"You are not the only girl in Fairy Tail who can kick Mira." Cana said with a smirk as she jumped back and threw the cards of 'Heaven', 'Reverse Death' and 'Mountain' at the white haired girl.

"SUMMONED LIGHTNING!" Cana yelled as lightning erupted from the ground, electrocuting Mira.

"I have to become an S Class mage, no matter what." Cana said with as serious expression as she held her cards. The white haired got up, the effects of the lightning attack from before making her moves slow, as she matched the brunette's determination with her own.

"Surpassing Erza is not my only purpose." Mira said as the faces of her siblings came to her mind. 'I have to get stronger for Elfman and Lisanna.'

The brunette's eyes widened for a moment before she returned to her serious expression.

"Only one can become an S Class mage though. Don't expect me to go easy on you." She said as she held three cards in her hand.

"I don't expect anything less from you Cana." Mira said with a smile as she activated her take over.

"Let's go!" Cana said as she threw her cards at Mira.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Heya guys. I'm back with another chapter. This one is kinda special because I was thinking about it while writing for the first time, no scraps or fight designs or anything so I'm not sure how it turned out, with the riddles and the constant scene change. Next chapter I'm gonna end these two battles and maybe even end the second trial so I hope I'll see you guys there too. As always, thanks for the views, favs, alerts and especially the reviews, your support really helps me write this story. Until later. Marvey out.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 11

"It looks like the others have run into each other." Cana said as she kept walking. She stopped on her tracks when she noticed that Mira was in front of her.

"I knew that someone was at the clearing before." Mira said as she smirked.

"Can't get away from you twice I guess." Cana said as she grinned.

"This should be interesting." Mira said. "In order to be on the same level as Erza I have to defeat you here, Cana."

"I have my own reasons for becoming an S Class mage." Cana said as she took out her cards.

"I won't let you use your cards!" Mira said as she dashed at the brunette. To her surprise, Cana sidestepped and landed a kick to the take over mage's ribs.

"You are not the only girl in Fairy Tail who can kick Mira." Cana said with a smirk as she jumped back and threw the cards of 'Heaven', 'Reverse Death' and 'Mountain' at the white haired girl.

"SUMMONED LIGHTNING!" Cana yelled as lightning erupted from the ground, electrocuting Mira.

"I have to become an S Class mage, no matter what." Cana said with as serious expression as she held her cards. The white haired got up, the effects of the lightning attack from before making her moves slow, as she matched the brunette's determination with her own.

"Surpassing Erza is not my only purpose." Mira said as the faces of her siblings came to her mind. 'I have to get stronger for Elfman and Lisanna.'

The brunette's eyes widened for a moment before she returned to her serious expression.

"Only one can become an S Class mage though. Don't expect me to go easy on you." She said as she held three cards in her hand.

"I don't expect anything less from you Cana." Mira said with a smile as she activated her take over.

"Let's go!" Cana said as she threw her cards at Mira.

"LIGHTNING, REVERSE TOWER, LOVERS! JOLT OF FATE!" The brunette yelled as the cards glowed and started spewing lightning all over the place. The white haired girl started flying around in order to dodge the incoming lightning. She then dashed at Cana with a kick aiming for her face. Cana's eyes widened in a comical way before she barely dodged the kick as she jumped back.

"I'm still not done!" Mira yelled as she dashed at the brunette.

"Wow there!" Cana exclaimed as she was barely dodging the take over mage's strikes. 'I got to do something to get Mira off my back.' She thought before she slammed a card to the ground.

"THE PRAYER'S FOUNTAIN!" the brunette yelled as the card summoned a fountain that was throwing water in every direction. Mira jumped back to dodge the attack while Cana smirked as she held three cards.

"Got you now. ICICLE!" she yelled as she threw the combined cards which turned into ice bullets. As the bullets passed through the fountain they froze the water which in result magnified the attacks.

"What?" Mira said in surprise as she was hit by the now faster bullets.

"There's more!" Cana said as cards started floating before her in a curved line.

"EXPLOSION!" she yelled as the cards burst into flames which were then sent at Mira who grunted as she jumped in the air and dodged the flames.

"DEMON BLAST!" the white haired girl yelled as she threw a dark purple beam at the brunette.

"Kyaah!" Cana screamed as she was sent back from the blast and slammed in a wall.

"What's the matter Cana? Giving up already?" Mira shouted in frustration as the smoke started dissipating. Suddenly, a volley of card shuriken appeared out of the smoke.

"Is that all that's left of you Cana?" Mira said as she simply moved out of the way. Her eyes widened as she felt pain in her ribs.

'She changed the direction of the cards?' the white haired girl thought as Cana appeared out of the smoke. She had some minor bruises from the impact but she was still grinning.

"It's not over until I say it's over." Cana said as she was standing there.

'Cana.' Mira thought with a smile before she donned her serious expression.

"Good. Now show me your resolve!" She shouted as she dashed at the brunette with a sphere in hand.

* * *

><p>"To be an S Class mage you need to constantly be aware of your surroundings. You two might defeated Erza and Gildarts but you are still not good enough to become Fairy Tail's S Class mages." The leader of the Raijinshu said as the runes exploded. He was about to continue when he stopped as he felt movement behind him. Both teens started to slowly get up as Freed was looking at them in mild surprise.<p>

"If you wanted to join, you should just ask, Freed." Naruto said as he looked as the green haired mage.

"A three way battle huh? This will spice up things." Gray said with a grin. Both teens' clothes were burnt from the explosion, but otherwise they were fine. Freed returned his calm expression as he unsheathed his sword.

"Maybe I underestimated you two. I will not do the same mistake twice." He said as his right eye turned dark with a purple pupil.

'So that's Freed Justine's Yami no Écriture.' Naruto thought as he summoned a black katana. At the same time Gray created an ice sword and took a basic stance. The three contestants had a staring contest as no one wanted to get attacked from both sides.

'The first one to make a move will find himself surrounded.' Naruto thought as he eyed both of his opponents. 'On the other hand, this will never end if someone doesn't make the first move.' The blond switched his attention to Gray before he dashed at Freed.

"KAZE BURE-DO!" he yelled as he clashed with the green haired mage, causing an explosion as the two swordsmen jumped in the air while still fighting. Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened as he summoned a second katana to deflect an ice arrow.

"Don't count me out!" Gray shouted as he was holding a bow made from ice. The ice mage didn't waste time as he shot a volley of arrows at the two mages. Freed deflected them with his sword while Naruto dodged them as he dashed towards Gray.

"TATSUMAKI!" the blond yelled as he turned into a tornado and attacked the ice mage. Gray jumped in the air as he created ice chains which were attached to the roof. The raven haired mage used the chains to his advantage as he dodged Freed's attack.

"YAMI NO ECRITURE! TSUBASA!" Freed yelled as runes appeared on his back, forming purple wings. He then attacked the ice mage with even greater speed.

"You're exposed." The green haired mage said as he went for a wide arc. Gray cut his spell as he created an ice sword to stop Freed's attack.

"Don't take me lightly Freed!" he shouted as he clashed with the green haired mage. The two mages struggled for dominance as Naruto came out of the crater that his attack caused.

"Ouch. Damn that Gray and his ice." The blond said as he looked up to see his two opponents fighting.

'I have no time for this. The battle with Gildarts already took a lot out of me. Gray is obviously showing signs of fatigue due to his fight with Erza while Freed is much fresher. And if I'm not mistaken, the girls must be fighting right now. Which means that only up to two candidates will be able to advance to the next trial.' He thought as Gray was sent back by one of Freed's rune attacks.

"It's over, Gray!" the green haired mage said as he brought forth his sword. "YAMI NO ECRITURE: ITAMI!" he said as he was about to write the word for 'pain' when a glowing form appeared in front of Gray.

"What?" Freed said as Naruto appeared out of the light. His outfit was different now as it consisted of black combat boots, dark blue pants and sleeveless shirt, bandages around the wrists and elbows with blue elbow warmers and a blue half mask.

"Gray." He said as the ice mage got up. "You wanted to see me fight more seriously? Watch me now." He said as he dropped in a fighting stance. He was surprised, however, when Gray approached him.

"I know I told you to fight for real, but this is a trial for me as much as it is for you. I'm not gonna sit back and watch you two fight." He said as he gained some distance from the blond. "Let's leave the talking for later and finish this." He added as he slammed his hands, forming the seal for ice make. At the same time, Freed dashed towards Naruto.

"You should know better than to turn your back at an opponent Naruto." The green haired mage said as he tried to slash the blond from behind, only for Naruto to block the attack with a dagger.

"Like Gray said, let's end this!" Naruto replied as he gathered wind magic in his free hand.

"KAZERYU NO JINKEN!" the blond yelled as he punched Freed on the shoulder, sending him a few meters back from the force. He then dashed towards Freed with dagger in hand and went for a wide vertical arc as they clashed once again. Suddenly his eyes widened as the two mages were trapped from in Gray's ice prison.

"ICE CANNON!" the raven haired mage yelled as he used the same combination that he did against Erza, causing another explosion.

'Did I get them?' he thought as the smoke started to clear. To his surprise, only Freed was there as his outfit was torn from the attack.

"Not bad… Gray." The green haired mage said as he fell down.

'Naruto's not out yet. Where did he go?' Gray thought as he scanned the place for the blond.

'That swirling sound.' The ice mage thought as he turned to his right to see Naruto at a very close distance with a blue sphere in his hand.

"RASENGAN!" the blond yelled as he got Gray in the gut, sending him in a spinning motion towards the wall.

"Gah!" the dark haired member exclaimed as he smashed in the wall before he felt in his knees. He looked up to see Naruto still in the position where he hit him.

'I see. He didn't manage to dodge my attack. But to be able to hit me after that, Naruto, how strong are you?' Gray thought as he fell down. Naruto panted heavily as he fell on one knee, thinking back to what happened moments ago.

_The cage fell down on them, blocking any means of escape. At the same time Gray launched one of his strongest moves. The blast struck both mages as they were thrown back. However, Naruto managed to block most of the attack by throwing a wind blast while in the cage. The force sent his upwards as he stopped on the floor. He landed on the ground as he gathered magic in his hand as he prepared the Rasengan._

"You almost got me with that one Gray. You are going to be one of the strongest mages in Fiore one day." The blond said as he turned his attention to Freed.

'Freed's strong too. I wonder how much stronger is Laxus if one of his bodyguards is already S Class level.' He thought before he started walking again.

"Look at that, my mask is torn again. I must be more careful in the future if I want to keep this mystery up." He said to himself as his thoughts turned to Cana and Mira.

'What are those two still doing?'

* * *

><p>Cana jumped back as she was heavily panting. She looked as Mira was faring a little better as she wasn't panting that much. It was obvious though that the brunette had made this as hard as she could for the take over mage.<p>

'This is troublesome though. I have used any combination I can and Mira is still up. And I don't think that the same tricks will work on her twice. I'm almost out of magic too.' She thought as Mira dashed once again at her. The white haired girl went for a punch as she jumped back. The brunette took out two cards, which she combined then into one, and threw it at Mira.

"WIND EDGE!" Cana yelled as the card was activated in mid air, generating an air blast that was directed at multiple locations. Mira stopped her descension as she raised her hand above her hand and started gathering dark energy in the form of a sphere.

'I didn't want to use that technique here, but I won't be able to defeat Cana if I don't use a higher level technique.' The take over mage thought as she pointed the sphere at Cana's direction.

"SATANIC BLAST!" she yelled as she sent the dark sphere towards the brunette's direction. Cana's eyes widened as she quickly slammed some cards to the ground.

"CARD BARRIER!" she yelled as the cards took effect, creating a barrier that surrounded her shaped as a cube. The sphere collided with the barrier, causing an explosion as the two mages fought for dominance. The sphere started changing shape as it exploded, turning into a giant pillar that consumed Cana's barrier. As the pillar slowly started to dissipate, Mira landed on the ground. The white haired girl deactivated her transformation as she stared at the brunette with a somber expression.

"Sorry, Cana." She said as she started to walk away when the brunette's voice stopped her.

"Wait." She said as she tried to get up, making Mira turn her attention to her. "I can still fight." Cana added but then she fell down again.

"Damn it! Damn it! I failed again!" the brunette said as she broke into sobs. Mira looked sad as she approached the weeping brunette. She bent down as she tried to comfort Cana.

"Now now, this isn't the Cana Alberona that I know. That Cana is a strong woman who can handle her business without anyone's help. A good friend who's always there for the others and doesn't stop at anything in order to help everyone." She said in sweet tone as she hugged the brunette. That action as well as her words seemed to calm Cana. The brunette looked up as she wiped her face with a tissue and looked at her white haired friend.

"This is the third time that I fail at the exams Mira." She started as Mira simply listened. "If I don't become an S Class mage, then I can't go reveal myself to my father."

"Your father?" Mira said in surprise. Cana nodded before she continued.

"My father… is Gildarts Clive." The brunette said as Mira looked in surprise.

"Gildarts?" Mira repeated. Cana nodded again.

"I promised myself that I would tell him that I'm his daughter when I became an S Class mage. But I don't know how much longer I can hold if I fail again." She said before she took a serious expression.

"Mira, don't worry about me. You won fair and square so you can continue. We'll meet again when you are the new S Class mage of Fairy Tail." Cana added before she slowly got up. Mira smiled as she got up as well.

"Right. The exam is still going." She said as she started walking forward. The white haired girl stopped as she turned to the brunette.

"I believe that Gildarts will accept you if you talk to him, S Class or not." She said before she continued walking, leaving Cana on her thoughts.

'Would he?' The brunette thought as she stared at Mira's back.

* * *

><p>"That's what I needed now." Naruto said as he took his head out of the pond. The blond had been walking for quite some time after he defeated Gray and Freed when he saw this small pond that was created from a waterfall nearby.<p>

'I don't sense any active magic sources. Which means that the girls' fight is over.' He thought as he was getting redressed. His mind went to Cana and how she looked at Gildarts when Makarov was explaining the second trial.

'Cana. I wonder what's on her mind at the time.' The blond thought before his eyes widened.

'Could it be that she has feelings for Gildarts? But that's not right, he's too old for her! Then again she spends a lot of time with Macao and Wakaba.' He thought before he shook his head.

"I really don't want to continue that train of thought. I'll just ask her at the guild." The blond said to himself as he wore his mask and started moving again.

"But man, this trial really goes forever. If I didn't come out of the caves I wouldn't realize that it's already night." Naruto said as he looked in the starry sky. After a couple of minutes, the blond reached another path.

"And back to the caves." He said as she sighed before he entered the path.

* * *

><p>Mira was walking as she thought on what Cana told her after the fight.<p>

_"My father… is Gildarts Clive."_

_"I promised myself that I would tell him that I'm his daughter when I became an S Class mage. But I don't know how much longer I can hold if I fail again."_

'Cana. I didn't know that she had problems like this. She always seemed relaxed at the guild, the least rowdy from all of us.' She thought as she kept walking when she saw another figure in front of her.

'There's still someone who has gone this far?' she wondered before the figure stopped walking.

"Mira?" Naruto said in confusion as he looked at the white haired girl that was behind him.

"You've come this far after all." Mira said as looked at the blond.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "Did you run into Cana?" he asked the surprised girl.

"Yes I did. How did you…" she said as Naruto gave her an eye smile.

"I fought with Gray and Freed. Plus, you look roughed up and I know the effects of Cana's magic." He said before he turned serious.

"Remember the day that I joined Fairy Tail?" he asked Mira who nodded.

"Yeah. You run head first to Gildarts the moment he returned from his mission." She said with a smirk.

"And before that you run head first to me." Naruto said as Mira puffed in annoyance. "This is our only fight so far." He added as he jumped back. Mira seemed to catch on as she took a serious expression as well.

"It's only you and me now for the path to become an S Class mage." She said as she transformed one more time.

"And this time I'll fight for real!" Naruto said as he dashed at Mira.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** So, turns out that I'll finish the trial next chapter. I thought about it and decided that the exams will have two parts only. Of course Mr obvious, you'll say, only two candidates are left and they are fighting now. Anyway, I have some plans on how to continue after that point but I don't know for sure when I'm going to start putting them into action. And because I'm a curious person, I'll post a poll where I'll ask your opinion on who do you want to become the new S Class mage of Fairy Tail. As always, thank you guys for your views, favs/follows and reviews, and I might becoming repetitive, but please post reviews with your accounts so I can reply to you about whatever bothers you concerning the story. Really now, anonymous reviews where the person just insults me and the story can be annoying and they show that the guy who just wants to belittle the author is a coward who doesn't dare show his face. And to the rest of the readers, sorry for the little runt, but these guys start getting on my nerves. Anyway, I'll see you guys on the next chapter. Marvey out.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 12

'Cana. I didn't know that she had problems like this. She always seemed relaxed at the guild, the least rowdy from all of us.' She thought as she kept walking when she saw another figure in front of her.

'There's still someone who has gone this far?' she wondered before the figure stopped walking.

"Mira?" Naruto said in confusion as he looked at the white haired girl that was behind him.

"You've come this far after all." Mira said as looked at the blond.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "Did you run into Cana?" he asked the surprised girl.

"Yes I did. How did you…" she said as Naruto gave her an eye smile.

"I fought with Gray and Freed. Plus, you look roughed up and I know the effects of Cana's magic." He said before he turned serious.

"Remember the day that I joined Fairy Tail?" he asked Mira who nodded.

"Yeah. You run head first to Gildarts the moment he returned from his mission." She said with a smirk.

"And before that you run head first to me." Naruto said as Mira puffed in annoyance. "This is our only fight so far." He added as he jumped back. Mira seemed to catch on as she took a serious expression as well.

"It's only you and me now for the path to become an S Class mage." She said as she transformed one more time.

"And this time I'll fight for real!" Naruto said as he dashed at Mira. The blond went for a spinning kick to the take over mage's head which she blocked with her arm. Mira quickly grabbed the stretched leg and spun the blond towards the boulders. The blond quickly put his hands on the ground so as to cut the force as he backflipped in the air and landed on the ground, only to find himself on the defensive as Mira came at him with a barrage of punches.

'I have to do something to get myself out of this position.' Naruto thought as he blocked a kick from the white haired girl that was going straight to his face. His eyes then shone as he realized that he was still wearing his cape.

'Why didn't I think of that earlier?' He thought as he let his guard down to lure Mira.

"Got you!" Mira shouted as she punched Naruto in the gut, only to realize that she had just punched the blonde's cape while he was nowhere to be found.

"How did he do that?" Mira wondered as she looked around for her opponent.

"KAGE BUYO!" Naruto whispered from below as he suddenly sent Mira high in the air with a kick to the chin. The blond dashed towards the take over mage at a great speed and positioned himself directly below her.

"SENPUU!" he yelled as he spun his body upwards and connected a kick to the white haired girl, sending her with immerse force to the ground.

"Shit!" Mira cursed as she used her wings to slow her downfall and dashed towards the blond above her. At the same time, Naruto dashes towards Mira with his fist surrounded by magic.

"KAZERYU NO JINKEN!" he yelled as he came down at the white haired girl with a wind fist. To his surprise, Mira grabbed his fist with her armed hand like it was nothing.

"What?"

"My turn." Mira said as she punched the blond in the face, sending him back as she continued with her barrage.

"Gah!" Naruto winced as Mira sent him straight to the wall with a kick to the chest. She then landed and started gathering dark energy in her hands while Naruto was stuck to the wall.

'This is bad. I can't let myself be hit by that.' The blond thought as he started gathering magic in his body.

"DEMON BLAST!" Mira yelled as she fired a dark purple beam at the blond who started glowing.

"PAAMU SUTORAIKI!" Naruto said as the magic was gathered in his hands. The blond extended his hands to the front as the beam connected with him.

'He took it head on?' Mira thought as she kept up the attack while the blond was defending himself.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Naruto roared as he managed to stop the beam, leaving Mira speechless.

"Incredible." She said as Naruto dashed towards her, his eyes turning white as he increased his magic.

"Never let your guard down!" he said as he aimed for an axe kick to Mira's head, which the white haired girl blocked as the ground descended into rubbles from the force of the strike. Naruto then jumped back as he aimed at Mira with hand stretched.

"KAZE DANGAN!" he yelled as he started firing wind bullets from his finger at the take over mage who took flight as she dodged the attacks. Mira spun around as she came at a close distance with the blond.

"EVIL PUSH!" she yelled as she threw a swirling stream of darkness at the blond who tried to move out of the way as his ribs took damage from the force. The blond winced as looked at Mira who was preparing another dark colored sphere in her hand.

"STOP THIS, NARUTO! EVIL EXPLOSION!" she yelled as she fired a much bigger beam this time while Naruto looked at the attack with an intense expression.

"In that case Mira, KAZE BURE-DO ENTEI!" The blond yelled as he threw a barrage of wind blades at the dark beam. The two attacks collided, generating a massive amount of energy as the two mages fought for dominance. Suddenly the blade managed to cut through the beam as the darkness magic was sent in different directions, creating debris all around the clearing.

'I did it.' Naruto thought as the blades kept cutting their way through the beam. However, the attack stopped before it reached Mira as the blades exploded. The smoke that was created from the debris and the explosions slowly started to dissipate as the two Fairy Tail mages panted heavily from the excessive use of magic during the entire day. Naruto looked around as he realized that their battle had brought down the entire place, with the full moon illuminating the temple up the hill.

'So close huh?' he thought as he turned his attention to Mira.

"I can't believe you stopped that one too." She said as she was still panting.

"I still have some tricks in my sleeve." The blond responded as he looked at his own state. Half of his shirt was torn from Mira's attack earlier, his mask was barely hanging and he was covered in bruises from the day's fights.

'I still haven't used the Rasengan on Mira. Not to mention that attack.' The blond thought as he took a stance.

"This has gone for far too long Mira. Let's end this!" He said as he started charging one more time.

"Yeah, only one can become an S Class mage after all." The take over mage said as she started gathering energy from the surrounding area between her hands, which subsequently takes the form of a large, transparent globe. 'For your sake Naruto, I hope you will be able to avoid the attack's full effect.' She thought as she extended her hands in front to aim at the blond.

"With this attack I use up all my remaining magic." Naruto said as he gathered all of his wind magic in his mouth.

"KAZE BAKUFUU!" The blond yelled as he threw a full power wind blast at Mira.

"SOUL EXTINCTION!" The white haired girl yelled as she launched the globe at Naruto. The two massive attacks collided in mid air as the two candidates fought with all the strength that was left in their bodies. The attacks were evenly matched, at points switching from the one's favor to the other's. As Mira started gaining the upper hand, Naruto's eyes widened as he felt pain in his ribs.

'Damn it! Mira's wave from earlier made more damage than I thought.' The blond realized as his wind blast started losing its force, resulting in the globe of darkness consuming the entire place as a giant dome of darkness was created from the collision. Mira landed on the ground as she deactivated her transformation and ran towards the blonde's location. Her eyes widened as she saw the unconscious figure of Naruto laying in some debris.

"Naruto! Naruto!" she shouted as ran to his side and tried to wake him up. The blond winced at the touch as he opened his eyes.

"Oh fuck. You really went overboard this time Mira." He said as he looked at the white haired girl who looked relieved before she frowned as smacked the blond in the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He said as he sat to the ground and rubbed his head.

"That was for worrying me you big idiot." Mira angrily said before she calmed down as she looked conflicted. Naruto blinked as he looked at his friend before he smiled.

"Don't worry about me. You won so go become an S Class mage. There's no other candidate left." He said. His words seemed to affect Mira as she nodded before she got up.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" She asked with what looked like worry on her face. The blond gave her a thumbs up as he grinned in order to hide his wincing.

"I'll be up in no time." He said as Mira relaxed.

"Ok. I'll see you later." She said with a smile as she walked towards the temple. Naruto waited for the girl to disappear in the distance before he fell down as he sighed.

"And I was so close to doing it. Guess there's always next year." He said to himself before he started thinking about moments ago.

'It wasn't only the injury that distracted me before. That same feeling that I had when trained with Natsu a week ago came back too. What's this weird magic? I still feel it on the island.' He thought as he stared in the open sky.

'I still have some magic left.' He added as he slowly got up. 'I can fly to the place.' With his mind set, the blond started flying as he went towards the west of the island where the magic was stronger.

* * *

><p>Mira was walking as she thought on the events of the day.<p>

'To think that I would actually manage to do it. Cana was right, this was tougher than years before.' She thought as she reached the temple.

"I'm finally here. What now?" she said as she looked around.

"Mira-nee!"

The white haired girl turned to see her younger sister running towards her with a huge smile on her face.

"Lisanna?" The older girl said in confusion as Lisanna hugged her.

"Congratulations Mira-nee." The younger girl said as Makarov appeared.

"Lisanna wanted to be here to congratulate you when you would come out of the maze." The old master said with a grin as he looked at the two girls. Mira was still confused as she looked at her sister.

"How did you know that I was coming?" She asked.

"That's a secret, right master?" Lisanna said with a giggle as she winked at Makarov.

"Eh? You too Lisanna?" Mira said with an incredulous look. Makarov cleared his throat as Mira looked back at him.

"What's important is that you did it Mira-chan. You are Fairy Tail's new S Class mage." The old master said with pride. Mira grinned as she raised her fist in the air.

"Yahoo! Take that Erza!" She said with a grin as Lisanna congratulated her sister one more time.

"Let's go back to the boat." Makarov said as the two girls nodded.

* * *

><p>Naruto was still flying to the west part of the island when he saw a magic seal in the air.<p>

"What's that?" He said as he dashed there. Before he managed to reach the seal, however, it disappeared, surprising the blond.

"That's odd." He said as he looked down. "The signature has almost disappeared. It's like the magic was never there." The blond started going down as he searched around for any signs. What caught his attention was a figure in heavy clothing. The blond flew towards him as the figure looked up.

'What the?' Naruto thought as the masked man disappeared. Naruto landed as he looked at the spot where the man was standing.

'Was that Teleportation magic?' The blond wondered as he looked around.

'There are no signs of the weird magic around here. What's going on here?' He thought before he took off again.

"I should get back. Maybe jiichan knows something about this." He said to himself as flew towards the ship.

* * *

><p>"Is Naruto here yet?"<p>

"No."

"Is he here yet?"

"Not yet Natsu."

"Is he here yet?"

"No."

"Is he here yet?"

"For the last time flame brain, Naruto hasn't returned yet." Gray said in an annoyed tone as the Fairy Tail mages were sitting at the ship, waiting for the rest of the candidates to return. Natsu ignored the raven haired mage as he went to Erza.

"Let's fight while we are waiting the others Erza." He said to the redhead who was eating a piece of cake.

"Not now Natsu. I'm busy." Erza said as she calmly ate her cake.

"It can't be helped Natsu. I'm itching for a fight too since my babies didn't see any action but the master forbade us from causing any more destruction to the island than the trials already cause." Bickslow said as he sitting while his dolls chanted "Destruction!" "Destruction!"

"Lisanna and Nee-chan haven't returned either, right?" Elfman asked as he was surprisingly silent all this time.

"I told you Elfman. Mira and Naruto are the only ones still in the competition. And Lisanna wanted to go with Master to wait for them." Cana said as she was drinking from a bottle while Macao and Wakaba were down due to alcohol.

"Are you sure this was the right time to have a drinking contest Cana?" Alzack said as he and Elfman sweatdropped at the scene.

"It's always a good time to have a contest. Plus, I was bored." Cana said as she gulped the rest of the contents. Suddenly Natsu got up as he squinted his eyes.

"They're back!" He said as he jumped from the boat and started running towards the forest. Elfman got up as well as he recognized the people.

"Lisanna! Nee-chan!" he shouted as the rest of the mages got up while stepping on the unconscious Macao and Wakaba. Natsu reached the two girls and the master as he looked around.

"Where's Naruto?" He said as he looked around.

"He's still not here?" Mira said as she got pissed off, scaring Natsu and Makarov. "That fool. Where could he possibly be all this time?"

"Relax Mira-nee. I'm sure he'll be here in a moment." Lisanna said as she boarded the ship, followed by the three mages. When they boarded the ship, Gray looked around too.

"Isn't someone missing?" He said.

"Nah. We're all here." Naruto said as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Where did you come from?" Natsu said in surprise as Mira came at the blond with an angry expression.

"You! What were you doing all this time?" She said as some of the mages sweatdropped.

'Here we go again.' Gray thought as Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"It took me a while to get here because I found a nice pond and cleaned myself up." The blond said as he gave her an eye smile. This served to piss Mira off even more as she sat to one of the chairs. Naruto sweatdropped as he turned to Makarov.

"Let's return to Fairy Tail now, shall we jiichan?" He said as Makarov nodded.

"Aye. Let's go home." He said as the ship took off.

* * *

><p>The trip back to Magnolia was rather uneventful in comparison to the trip to Athiron island. Everyone was tired from the fights as they had decided to let the journey go in silence. Naruto casted Troia on Natsu when they started and, to his relief, the dragon slayer slept some minutes later. The blond himself decided to just sit on the bow of the ship and stare at the sea while thinking. It wasn't long before he noticed the night lights of Magnolia city. The blond smiled as he got up to inform his comrades that they were there.<p>

* * *

><p>Shortly after they returned, Makarov gathered everyone in order to announce this year's S Class mage.<p>

"As you all know this morning six Fairy Tail members went to Athiron island along with their partners to be tested. One of them managed to pass the trials and became our newest S Class mage. Mirajane Strauss!" He said as the white haired girl climbed the ramp.

"Congratulations." The old master said as he gave Mira her license. "You are now an S Class mage." The rest of the guildmembers started clapping while her siblings hugged her. Naruto was clapping as well when his eyes fell on Cana. The brunette was congratulating Mira as well but the blond noticed something in her expression when she looked down.

'What is the thing that's torturing you Cana?' He thought before he turned to the master.

"And to celebrate for a great year for the guild and everyone, we are going to party all night!" Makarov said as raised his cup in the air, making the guildmembers go wild with joy.

"Hm, so easygoing." Laxus said as he left for the second floor.

* * *

><p>After he congratulated Mira, Naruto started looking for Cana. The blond couldn't get her face out of his mind because he was sure that something was bothering his friend. The blond got out of the guild as he sighed in disappointment.<p>

"She already left the guild. That girl definitely has something on her mind if she didn't even stay for a drink." He said as he walked out in the snow.

"And it's not like anything is open at this time and day, everyone is in the comfort of their houses." He added as he kept walking without thinking of a destination. The blond was surprised when he realized that he found himself near the river. He then noticed that there was someone who was sitting on the bank of the river. As the blond came closer he realized that this someone was in fact Cana. The brunette looked on her right to see the blond as she signed for him to join her. Naruto sat down as he took a bottle of vodka from his jacket pocket and offered it at the brunette.

"Here. That will warm you up." He said as he took out one for himself.

"Thanks." Cana said as the two teens started drinking in a comfortable silence. After a couple of minutes, the blond decided to break the silence.

"I want to ask you a question Cana and I want an honest answer." The blond said with a serious expression as he looked at the brunette.

"What is it?" Cana said with a serious expression as well. Naruto left a breath before he looked at his friend.

"Do you like Gildarts?" He asked as he waited for the brunette to respond. Cana blinked for a moment before she started laughing while Naruto sweatdropped.

"Me liking Gildarts? Where did that come from?" She said between laughing. "That's rich Naruto." She added as the blond stared at her with a funny expression.

"I'm serious Cana. I didn't miss the way you looked at him back in Athiron island." Naruto said as Cana stopped laughing.

"You noticed me?" She said in a much more serious tone as Naruto nodded.

"I also saw you when Mira became the S Class mage. I saw your sad expression." He said before he took a big sip from his vodka. "What's the matter Cana? What is bothering you?" Cana drank a sip too before she looked as the blond with a sad expression.

"You are going to be the second person to know what I'm about to tell you." She said before she exhaled. "After all, I know your story so it's only fair that you learn mine." Naruto listened intently as Cana was taking a moment to find the correct words for this.

"You know, I came to Fairy Tail after my mom's death when I was six. Right before she died, my mother told me who my father is so I came at the guild in order to find him. I had heard stories about him from the people in the streets, about how strong and kind my father was and how great he was as a mage. And when I saw him for the first time, I was so happy like I've never been before. He noticed me as well, but he didn't realize that I was his daughter and I didn't have the courage to tell him that. I've had plenty of opportunities to tell him the truth, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. How could I, a simple mage, go and tell him that I'm his daughter? So when I was first announced for the S Class trial exam I promised myself that I will tell him the truth when I become an S Class mage myself."

Naruto was trying to suppress his shock as he looked at the brunette.

"Cana, is your father still in the guild?" He asked though he had already put the pieces together.

"Yes." Cana said. "It's Gildarts." The blond looked up as he gulped the rest of the bottle.

'It all makes sense now. But how come Gildarts never realized?' he thought as he looked at his friend.

"And what will you do now?" He asked as Cana looked down.

"I really don't know. Mira told me that I should talk to him, tell him the truth. But I don't know what to say." She said while Naruto smiled.

"You could begin with "Hey Gildarts how's it going? By the way, I'm your daughter." He said as Cana laughed at his attempt to joke.

"I don't know. Maybe." She said with a smile before she turned to the blond.

"Thank you for listening Naruto. I already feel better now that I said it to someone." She said. The blond grinned as he put his hands behind his head.

"Anything for a good friend. And if there's anything that bothers you, I'll be there to help you with it." He said while still grinning. Cana nodded as the two friends spent the rest of the night talking about random things and laughing.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** And I'm finally done with the S Class Arc. Man that was tiring. Fun, but tiring. For those who are ready to throw me flames with the intensity of a Supernova because I didn't make Naruto the new S Class mage, this is the year 781 in Earthland when Mira became an S Class mage. I didn't have any intentions from the beginning to change the canon timeline so Naruto didn't become an S Class mage, but he was close to doing it. Also, I'm pretty sure that you don't have to be an S Class mage to be strong like Natsu, Gray and Elfman have proven. So that doesn't mean anything considering Naruto's growth as a mage. Besides, in case you people don't remember, he is still a genin in canon Naruto and he's still one of the strongest characters. Anyway, I'm going to write one or two independent chapters before I move on with the next arc that I have in mind. If I have time, the next chapter will probably be released by the end of the week. Until later. Marvey out.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 13

The next morning from the S Class exam found Naruto on the roof of his house. The blond parted ways with Cana some time after the sun had risen and decided to sit on the roof and think of the events that took place the previous day. Managing to defeat Gildarts, even with Natsu's help, defeating Gray and Freed on the second trial and losing from Mira shortly after, the discovery of a masked man near the site where he felt the strange magic and the revelation of Cana being Gildarts' daughter kept him up for the rest of the night.

"Only one thing is for sure. That was definitely one hell of a day." He said as he emptied a bottle of sake. He then got up from his lying position and looked at the distance.

"It's morning already. Jiichan is most likely on the guild by now." He said to himself as he thought about the masked man. "He will probably know something about this magic that I've felt.

Naruto quickly jumped from the roof to the street and stretched as he wore his signature mask. As the blond walked around the city to get to the guild, he observed the city getting ready for the next day. The people were opening their stores, the bakers were selling bread as their shops were full of people and the streets in general were bursting of life. Naruto noticed that the citizens were happily waving their hands at him while children played all around him with grins on their faces. As the blond waved back, he had a smile on his face, remembering the Sage of the Six Paths' words in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

_I can send you to a different world, where you will be able to live a normal and peaceful life._

'A normal and peaceful life, huh? It's not exactly normal since I'm a mage, but I got the peaceful part here. These people accepted me for what I am, just another mage, and they are not afraid. They are friendly like they are with Erza.' Naruto thought as he remembered the people's faces when they saw Erza returning from the mission with him some months back. Without realizing it, the blond reached the building of Magnolia's top guild, his new home. Smiling to himself, the blond opened the door to come across the familiar sight of his guildmembers sleeping all around the place in weird positions as it always happened after every feast. He held back a laugh as he spotted some of the weirdest sleeping poses like Jet and Droy from Team Shadow Gear hugging each other and muttering Levy's name while the petite blunette was sleeping comfortably a couple of meters away or Natsu having his foot dangerously close to Erza's face while unconsciously hitting a half naked Gray on the shoulder as the raven haired teen kept pushing Natsu's fist away.

'This is the tricky part though. I'll have to be careful not to wake anyone while going to the second floor to find jiichan. That will cause another brawl and it's too early for that.' Naruto thought as he slowly stepped on his toes in order to silently make his way to Makarov's office.

"Naruto." He suddenly heard as he slowly turned to see a sleeping Happy muttering.

"That's not fair Naruto. You said that you were going to share your fish with me." The blue cat said in his sleep, making the blonde leave a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. The teen then continued his path as he reached the guildmaster's office. The blond knocked once as he heard Makarov calling him to enter. As the blond got in, he chuckled at the site of the old guildmaster muttering things while doing paperwork.

"I see that the terror of paperwork exists everywhere." The blond joked as Makarov kept muttering about something before he put his pen aside and motioned for Naruto to come closer.

"I wanted to talk with you Naruto. And I'm pretty sure there's something you wanna ask me too since you came so early in the morning." Makarov said with serious expression as the blond sat on a chair.

"What I wanted to ask can wait for now. You said you wanted to talk to me about something jiichan?" the blond said. Makarov nodded before he got up and went towards the window.

"Did you have any luck with your search on Wendy?" The old mage asked as he looked outside the window where Mira and Lisanna were doing chores for the guild.

"Unfortunately, not anything valid." The blond said as he looked down. "There are many rumors around the country related to dragons and dragon slayers but most of them are just that. The only thing I can tell for sure is that she hasn't left the country yet, not by normal means at least which is a small comfort."

"I see." Makarov said as he turned to look at the blond. "I also have request for you Naruto." He added as the blond lifted his head and looked at the old master in surprise.

"What kind of request?" Naruto asked as he stared at Makarov.

"I want you to come with me to the magic council for this year's evaluation." The wizard saint said as Naruto got up from his seat.

"I'm flattered that you want me to escort you to Era, but I'm not even an S Class mage. Wouldn't Gildarts, Erza, Mira or Laxus be more suitable for this?" The blond said as Makarov kept the same expression.

"Because the council hasn't seen you yet Naruto. From what I have heard, you haven't run into any council members before." He said before he turned to the window once again.

"The council doesn't think well of us due to the destruction that our mages cost during their missions. While I could care less about what they think about us, they are still the higher ups and they can shut us down if they want to. In addition, you played a big part for Fairy Tail this year. The people know you. The will surely be interested in you, so it's better if you give them a good first impression than if they send someone to find you." Makarov continued, making Naruto realizing the master's point.

"You should also learn how to deal with them. They can be a handful if you can't do that." Makarov added as he turned at the blond with a sly grin.

"I understand." Naruto said as he started walking towards the exit. "When will we leave jiichan?" He asked when he reached the door.

"Be here in an hour. The trip will take some time." Makarov said as Naruto nodded before he left the room. Makarov sighed as he looked at the big pile of papers that was on his desk.

"What am I going to do with you now paperwork?" The old master said to himself as he begrudgingly sat at his desk and continued his work.

* * *

><p>As Naruto left Makarov's office, he was greeted by the site of the guildhall being up and running. The blond blinked as looked around.<p>

'How long was I in the office?' He thought as Natsu and Happy approached him.

"Good morning Naruto." Happy said as he raised his paw in greeting.

"Yo Happy." Naruto said as he noticed that Natsu was acting in a weird way. "What's wrong with Natsu?" He added as he pointed at the young dragon slayer.

"Natsu challenged Laxus to a fight yesterday. He lost with one punch of course." The blue cat said as he casually shrugged.

"That bastard Laxus! Next time I'll get him!" Natsu said with determination before he fell to his face.

"And he looked cool for a moment." Happy said as Naruto kneeled next to the rose haired teen.

"Let me see that." The blond said as he ran a quick check up on Natsu.

"Hey Naruto."

The blond lifted his head to see Gray standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Gray." He greeted back as his hands glowed.

"Is flame brain still out from yesterday?" The raven haired teen asked.

"Aye." Happy answered. The green glow from Naruto's hands disappeared as Natsu got up in no time.

"Thanks Naruto." The dragon slayer said as he started stretching. "Wanna go for some training?" He asked as he kept doing his exercises.

"Actually, I have to go with jiichan to Era." The blond said, surprising Natsu and Gray.

"You'll escort master to the council?" Erza said as she approached the group of teens.

"Yeah. Something about a yearly evaluation." The blond said as he nodded. This picked up the interest of Mira as she jumped in.

"Since you won't go with master, let's fight now Erza." The white haired girl said as looked at the redhead.

"Very well. Come at me Mirajane!" The requip mage said as the two girls started fighting.

"Looks like Mira-chan and Erza-chan are at it already Macao." Wakaba said to his partner.

"Ah, that's the spirit of the young my friend." Macao said as the members were getting out of the two girls' way. Naruto and Gray sweatdropped as they stared at the fight between the two girls. Natsu, on the other hand, was excited as jumped around.

"I'm fired up!" The dragon slayer said as he attempted to join the fray.

"Out of the way Natsu!" The two girls said as they both punched Natsu, sending him out of the guild.

"Natsu!" Happy shouted as he flew after his father figure while Gildarts entered the guild at that moment.

"Was that Natsu?" He asked the two teens who were still watching the fight. Gray nodded without taking his eyes off Erza and Mira. Naruto then blinked as he remembered what Makarov told him.

"Oh yeah, I should get ready for the trip." The blond said as he shook his head.

"Bye Naruto." Gray said as he waved at the blond. As the blond was making his way out of the guild he heard the orange haired mage talking to the raven haired teen.

"Gray, you are naked again." Gildarts said, making the ice mage run around in order to find his clothes.

* * *

><p>After Naruto left the guild, he went straight to his house and got ready for the trip. The blond was now standing at the entrance , waiting for the guildmaster to arrive.<p>

'What's taking jiichan so long?' He thought as he leaned at the wall. The blond turned to his right to see Makarov in his Wizard Saint outfit.

"You're late jiichan." Naruto said as Makarov approached him.

"Blame the paperwork Naruto." The old master said as looked in the distance.

"What are we waiting for?" Naruto said as he looked in the same direction. Just then, he noticed a four wheel vehicle approaching.

"Our transportation." Makarov said as the vehicle stopped in front of them. Naruto jumped in the driver's seat as he inspected the machine.

"Cool! Can I drive it?" The blond said in excitement, making the old master chuckle.

"Sure, if you know the way to Era." Makarov said with a sly smirk.

"No problem. I'll get us there in no time." Naruto said as he turned and gave Makarov a thumbs up.

'I have a bad feeling about this.' The old mage thought as he got in the car.

* * *

><p>Makarov soon realized what the young mage meant by 'no time' as Naruto was driving the magic four wheel vehicle at a really fast pace.<p>

"Wow, slow down Naruto! You want to get us killed?" The old master asked as Naruto was literarily flirting with a car crash.

"Don't' worry jiichan! I got this under control!" The blond shouted in order for the master to hear him.

"You call this under control?" Makarov asked in shock as they sped up even more.

"Yeehaaw!" the blond yelled as he barely dodged another vehicle.

"Watch where you're going jackass!" The driver of the other vehicle yelled at Naruto.

"Sorry!" the blond shouted back. He then abruptly stopped the car as they got at the entrance of the city.

"We are here?" Makarov asked in surprise as he got out of the car. Naruto took out the SE plug and hopped out of the car.

"I told you that I'd get us here in no time." Naruto said as he approached the master. He suddenly stopped when he sensed an evil aura coming from Makarov.

"Jiichan?" the blond nervously asked as Makarov turned at him.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING YOU FOOL RUNNING LIKE THAT!" The old master yelled at the blond who rubbed the back of his head.

"Guess I got a little carried away. At any rate, shouldn't we go at the council?" Naruto said as he tried to change the subject. It seemed to work as Makarov calmed before he turned serious.

"You have a point brat. Let's go." The old master said as they entered Era.

* * *

><p>"Now listen Naruto. You have to be careful on what you are saying when we get in the chamber. We don't many members on our side here." Makarov told to Naruto as the two Fairy Tail mages entered the council building. Naruto nodded as he looked around the place. The building's interiors seemed to be monumental like the external appearance. Given access to by a double door, topped by a high window with an arched summit, was a long, extremely high corridor with an arched ceiling. To the entrance's right was a highly elaborated wall, with square, hollow sections marked by massive, rectangular pillars, composed of stone in their lower and central part, with the central one taking on a spherical form, and of bricks in the upper part. Some elaborated double doors appeared along such wall, with the carpet covering most of the floor's central part extending sideways to reach them; the floor, left exposed, was shown to be composed of large, mildly rounded flat stones. To the wall's front, to the entrance's left, was a colonnade consisting of elongated, majestic pillars. Each of them possessed a round, decorated base, which grows slightly thinner as it went up just to subsequently return to its original size, topped by an oval section, which sustained the rest of the pillar, intricately decorated in the lower part.<p>

'An impressive building no doubt. I haven't seen such a complex design anywhere else.' The blond thought before he looked ahead as a short man approached them. He had thick flesh-colored eyebrows and a small toothbrush mustache that reached halfway to his mouth. His outfit consisted of a brown long sleeve shirt with black vertical stripes, white shorts, black boots and a black three spiked hat.

"This man is a good friend of mine Naruto. He used to be in Fairy Tail before he joined the council." Makarov whispered to the blond who nodded in understanding. As the man met up with the two mages, he smiled at Makarov.

"Long time no see Macky." The old man, making Makarov smile too.

'Macky?' Naruto thought as he held back a chuckle.

"Yajima my friend. How are you doing?" Makarov said as the two friends exchanged greetings.

"I've been good." Yajima answered before he motioned for the Fairy Tail mages to follow him.

"The council has just gathered Macky. You came just in time." He said as the three men walked towards the chamber.

'It seems that Naruto's insane driving was helpful in this case.' Makarov thought as he shuddered at the thought. 'We are lucky that he didn't wreck the car.'

"Something wrong Macky?" Yajima asked as he turned to his friend.

"I just remembered something." The old master said before he shook his head. "Let's get over with the evaluation now." He added as they reached the entrance.

* * *

><p>'Jiichan was right about the council not feeling any love for Fairy Tail.' Naruto thought as he observed the meeting of the council. It was obvious that the council has tolerated the guild's existence so far because some members like Yajima viewed past the destruction of property during missions and realized that the guild was important to the country's safety. Makarov's influence as a respected member among the Ten Wizard Saints also played a part in that.<p>

'The meeting is going well so far. Yet, why do I have a bad feeling ever since I got in the chamber?' The blond wondered as he looked around the chamber. His eyes fell on the youngest member of the council. He looked around Naruto's age and he had spiky blue hair that reminded him of Natsu and brown eyes. His outfit consisted of a long white tunic with black stripes across the edges and on the upper part of the arms, a decorated collar, large straps connected to decorated buckles closing the inducement on the front over a dark shirt, and matching pants and shoes. He also sported a ring on his right hand's middle finger, and the medallion that Makarov was wearing which attested his status as one of the Ten Wizard Saints around his neck, hidden by his jacket's collar. What caught Naruto's eyes, however, was a strange red marking around his right eye which looked like a tribal symbol.

'What's with that guy? He gives me the creeps.' Naruto thought as their eyes met. The blue haired teen smiled at the blond before he turned at Makarov.

"Thank you Master Makarov." One of the eldest members, Org was his name if Naruto remembered well, said. "That will be all. Meeting adjourned." However, as the rest of the council members were about to get up, the blue haired teen spoke.

"But Councilman Org, shouldn't we inform Master Makarov about that subject that the council was talking about earlier? After all, Fairy Tail is one of the strongest guilds in Fiore." He said a calm tone. The rest of the members looked at each other before they returned to their seats.

"Siegrain is right. But before that, I believe that Naruto Uzumaki should leave the chamber. This information is classified only to the council and the guildmasters." Leiji, a guy who reminded Naruto of an Aburame said as the rest of the members agreed. Makarov turned to the blond who nodded as he left the chamber.

'There's something disturbing about that Siegrain guy. He might hide it, but the malice that he emits is so intense that I'm surprised the rest of the council hasn't noticed yet.' The blond thought as he closed the door to the chamber.

"So, what's all this commotion about?" Makarov asked with a serious look when Naruto closed the door.

* * *

><p>After Naruto left the chamber, he searched the library in hopes of finding something that would help him with his quest to find Wendy as well as the strange magic seal that he saw at Athiron island. The blond was absorbed in his reading that he didn't notice a presence approaching him.<p>

"Who are you? I haven't seen you before."

The blond lifted his head from the book to see a girl in front of him. She had a pale skin, long raven black hair that reached her back with the bangs covering her face and brown eyes. Her outfit, which complimented her voluptuous body, consisted of a white kimono that reached her thighs and let her entire right arm exposed, with an orange sash adorning her waist and black sandals.

"You know, it's rude to demand someone's name before you introduce yourself." Naruto said as he closed the book that he holding. The raven haired girl smirked.

"A smart one. Very well, my name is Ultear Milkovich." She said as she slightly bowed. Naruto kept his serious expression as he stared at her.

"Naruto Uzumaki." He finally said as the girl smiled.

"Finally. A new face around this place. It's gotten so boring here with the constant meetings and all these old men and women." She said as the blond sweatdropped.

"Meetings? You are from the council?" Naruto asked as he remembered that there were only nine members in the chamber.

"I'm about to become one. I've only been a candidate so far but I still attended meetings." Ultear said as she looked more relaxed by now.

"So that's why you're not in the chamber now." The blond said as the girl nodded.

"But I'm so bored now. It's a good thing I run into you." Ultear said as she stretched.

'Damn she is in a good shape.' Naruto thought as he noticed her looks before he shook his head. 'Focus Naruto. You barely know her.'

The raven haired girl smirked before she smiled at the blond.

"Wanna go for a walk?" She offered as the blond looked in thought.

'Why not? Maybe I can get something from her since she is in the council.' Naruto thought before she spoke.

"Why not? I still got some free time." He said as he was ready to follow the girl when she pointed at his hand.

"You might want to put that book back to its place." She said as the blond realized that he still had the book.

"Oh yeah." He said as he put it back in the shelf. He then approached Ultear and opened the door.

"Ladies first." He said as the raven haired girl chuckled.

"What a gentleman." She said as the two teens left the room.

* * *

><p>"This place is really huge. How can you move around so easily?" Naruto said as they reached the council's chambers.<p>

"I've been here a long time." Ultear said with a smile as the door opened, revealing the council members.

"It seems that the meeting is over." Naruto said as he looked at the approaching mages.

"Yeah. That was fun." Ultear said, the smile still on her face. Naruto bowed and slight raised his mask to kiss Ultear's hand.

"The pleasure is mine Ur." He said, making the raven haired girl blush. "Till we meet again." He added as he left, not noticing the scowl on the girl's face. He then went towards Makarov when he passed near Siegrain who was exiting the chamber. As the two teens passed near each other, time seemed to slow down as they looked at each other, Naruto with a passive look and Siegrain with a smile.

"Councilman Fernandes." Naruto said in a typical tone.

"Please Naruto-kun, just call me Siegrain." The blue haired teen said with a smile. Naruto nodded before they continued walking.

"I see you made friends here Naruto." Makarov said when the blond teen approached him.

"Are we done here jiichan?" Naruto asked with a serious look.

"The meeting is over, but I want to do some catching up with Yajima so take the four wheel vehicle if you want to return to the Magnolia." The old master said. Naruto nodded.

"I'll inform the guild that you have some business to attend to then." He said as he parted ways with Makarov.

'I'll have to thank you later jiichan.' Naruto thought as he exited the building.

* * *

><p>Ultear stood there with a smile. When the blond left however, her smile turned into a scowl.<p>

'That bastard. How dare he calls me Ur?' She angrily thought as Siegrain approached her.

"Did you talk with him?" The blue haired teen said as Ultear nodded.

"Yeah. You can feel his huge magic power even without him emitting it." The raven haired girl answered.

"Good. Keep an eye on him. He might prove to be a good substitute in the scenario that we won't manage to capture Erza for the Tower of Heaven." Siegrain said as his expression darkened. As he left, he didn't notice Ultear's expression darkening as well.

'You have no idea what you are involved with Jellal. You are moving exactly like Master Hades wants you to. And this Naruto Uzumaki, he is someone that I should keep an eye on besides the Tower. Master Hades must learn about him immediately.' The raven haired girl thought as she took out a crystal ball.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Phew. This is my biggest chapter so far and there wasn't even a training session in. I feel good about myself cause I wasn't sure if I could manage to do it, but here it is. So, I want your opinions on this chapter. Was it good? Average? Bad? I believe it was good, but then again I'm the author so of course I believe that my work is good. Anyway, it's highly likely that with the next chapter I'll start my new arc, which will definitely be some time in the next week.  
>As always, I'd like to thank everyone who reads, favs, follows and reviews the story, especially when you do all of them. Until next time. Marvey out.<strong>


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 14

"This place is really huge. How can you move around so easily?" Naruto said as they reached the council's chambers.

"I've been here a long time." Ultear said with a smile as the door opened, revealing the council members.

"It seems that the meeting is over." Naruto said as he looked at the approaching mages.

"Yeah. That was fun." Ultear said, the smile still on her face. Naruto bowed and slight raised his mask to kiss Ultear's hand.

"The pleasure is mine Ur." He said, making the raven haired girl blush. "Till we meet again." He added as he left, not noticing the scowl on the girl's face. He then went towards Makarov when he passed near Siegrain who was exiting the chamber. As the two teens passed near each other, time seemed to slow down as they looked at each other, Naruto with a passive look and Siegrain with a smile.

"Councilman Fernandes." Naruto said in a typical tone.

"Please Naruto-kun, just call me Siegrain." The blue haired teen said with a smile. Naruto nodded before they continued walking.

"I see you made friends here Naruto." Makarov said when the blond teen approached him.

"Are we done here jiichan?" Naruto asked with a serious look.

"The meeting is over, but I want to do some catching up with Yajima so take the four wheel vehicle if you want to return to the Magnolia." The old master said. Naruto nodded.

"I'll inform the guild that you have some business to attend to then." He said as he parted ways with Makarov.

'I'll have to thank you later jiichan.' Naruto thought as he exited the building.

* * *

><p>The blond didn't waste any time as he got on the magic car and put on the SE-plug. On his way back to Magnolia however, Naruto was driving at a much slower pace in order to give time to himself to think on what happened at the council.<p>

'Something must be going on if the council decided to trust Fairy Tail about a matter that bothers them. They wouldn't ask its help if it wasn't important.' He thought as Makarov's words from the morning echoed in his head.

_"The council doesn't think well of us due to the destruction that our mages cost during their missions. While I could care less about what they think about us, they are still the higher ups and they can shut us down if they want to."_

'And to think that Siegrain is the one who reminded them of this, what is this guy planning? There's definitely more than meets the eye in him.' The blonde's thoughts then turned to the raven haired girl that he met after the council meeting.

'Ultear Milkovich. She looks more laidback than the rest of the council members, but I got vibes from her similar to Siegrain. Unlike him, she is more careful though.'

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a figure at a very close distance.

'Shit!' The blond thought when he realized that the figure was in the road as he tried to stop the magic four wheel vehicle. The tires started screeching as he turned the car in order to dodge the figure which wasn't moving from its spot. Finally he managed to stop the car after it skidded for a few meters. The blond then turned towards the figure to see that it wasn't there.

'That's strange.' Naruto thought as he hopped down from the car. He then turned around to notice the same hooded person that he saw in Magnolia a week ago.

"You again!" The blond said as he adopted a fighting stance. The hooded person took out a small sphere which he then threw on the ground as it exploded, creating smoke out of nowhere.

'A smoke screen.' Naruto thought as he covered his face with the mask. The smoke quickly dissipated, but Naruto realized that the hooded person was nowhere in sight.

'What the hell was that?' The blond thought as he searched around the area for the hooded person.

'As I thought. There are no trails at all. And there was this feeling of familiarity again.' He thought as he went back on the magic car.

"Just when I already didn't have enough in my head." Naruto said as he started the magic car and continued on his trip to Magnolia.

* * *

><p>The sun was rising as the snow fell on the streets of Magnolia. Another typical Winter day was beginning in the city as Naruto Uzumaki arrived from the evaluation of Fairy Tail by the council.<p>

"Damn that snowstorm. I would be back hours ago if it wasn't for that." The blond said as he parked the magic four wheel vehicle. He then rubbed his head as he looked at the road.

"It's not snowing that heavily here so the guild is probably open. I could use a hot drink now." He added as he started walking towards the guild. As the blond was walking down the street he took a moment to enjoy the snow falling on his face.

'It has been a long time since I could just sit and enjoy the snow now that I think about it.' He thought as he closed his eyes and stood there. He suddenly opened his eyes, however, as he moved out of the way just as an electric bolt connected with the snowy ground, creating a minor explosion due to the impact. The blond turned to look at a familiar tall mage with his hand extended.

"Oh? You managed to dodge my attack. Maybe you are not as bad as you look." Laxus said with a mildly impressed look on his face.

"Laxus! What the hell was that for?" Naruto shouted as he stared at the taller blond. Lightning was coming out of Laxus as he looked angrier than before.

"Being able to dodge doesn't mean anything though. How did you defeat the old geezer?" He said as the lightning around him became more intense. Naruto's eyes widened as he understood what was Laxus' purpose.

"I see. You don't think I'm strong enough right?" The masked blond said as he started charging.

"Prove me wrong then, Uzumaki!" Laxus said as he dashed forward with his fists surrounded by electricity.

"I wanted to fight you too Laxus. Here I come!" Naruto said as he dashed forward too. The two mages started exchanging blows as the collision of wind with lightning generated chaos. Naruto ducked in order to dodge a punch from the taller blond, then proceeded to punch Laxus in the face the lightning mage blocked with his arm.

"It that your strength Uzumaki? That's nothing!" Laxus said as he answered with an elbow to the shorter blond.

"Argh!" Naruto exclaimed as he staggered back from the strike, but then rebounded with a step up knee kick to the face, making Laxus stumble due to the impact.

'An opening.' The wind mage thought as he landed on the ground only to dash with a punch straight to Laxus' face.

"Take this!" Naruto shouted as he punched Laxus. The tall blond moved back from the strike before he headbutted Naruto and then proceeded to send the wind mage in the air.

"THUNDER BULLETS!" The lightning mage yelled as he created a sphere or lightning around his outstretched forearm, from which a barrage of small lightning orbs was fired towards the exposed Naruto. The wind mage spun around in mid air as he slammed his palms between each other. His palms started glowing as he looked at Laxus

"PAAMU SUTORAIKI!" The wind mage yelled as he started deflecting the orbs with his palm strikes.

"You move well Uzumaki." Laxus said as he rubbed his chin. "And your punches aren't that bad after all."

"I could say the same for you Laxus. You have a strong head." Naruto answered as he stared at his fellow blond. 'What's that feeling though? I was focused on Gildarts at Athiron Island so I thought it was only Natsu, but why does Laxus emit a similar magic signature? Grandeeney told me about only three dragon slayers being in Fiore and only Natsu is in Fairy Tail. Unless…'

"It's funny, though, that you want to test me, yet you don't go all out. I can tell a dragon slayer when I see one so why don't we skip the warm up?" Naruto said in an attempt to provoke Laxus. The taller blond looked surprised for a moment before he smirked.

"It seems I clearly underestimated you. Very well then, blame yourself for what's about to happen." Laxus said as he started charging, but this time his physique started changing as well, as his upper body and arms grew bigger and more buff. His eyes changed too as they turned completely white and pupiless.

'So that's the next step to dragon slayer magic. Natsu still hasn't obtained it yet.' Naruto thought as he stared at the transforming Laxus.

"I won't fall behind!" Naruto said as he started charging as well. The wind started forming around him as his eyes turned white as well.

"Survive this and I might consider you worthy of being in the guild!" Laxus shouted as he started gathering the magic in his mouth.

'A breath attack, huh?' Naruto thought as he gathered the magic in his mouth too.

"RAIRYU NO…"

"KAZE…"

"HOKO!"

"BAKUFUU!"

The two mages unleashed their two breath attacks at the same time, both at full power. As the destructive attacks were about to collide, a figure suddenly appeared on the collision point, stopping the two blast from connecting.

'That magic power?'

"Jiji? What are you doing here?" Laxus asked as the blast dissipated, revealing a very pissed off Makarov.

"What were you two thinking!?" He started yelling at the tow blonds who looked surprised by the old master's interference. "Fighting without someone to stop you from destroying the city!?

'That's what he's worried about?' Both teens thought as they were on the mercy of Makarov's scolding.

"Don't worry jiji, me and Naruto are just having a friendly spar here." Laxus said with a cocky expression.

"He calls that friendly?" Naruto deadpanned at the taller blonde's words while Makarov smirked.

"So you are already good friends huh?" Makarov asked the two blonds, his right eyebrow rose.

"Of course we are, right Naruto?" Laxus said as he put his arm around the shorter blonde's shoulder, making him sweatdrop.

"Since when?" Naruto said as Laxus started laughing.

"You are so funny sometimes friend." The lightning mage said as he kept laughing.

"If you are so good friends then you will have no problem teaming up for a mission." Makarov said with a smirk, making Laxus stop his laughter while Naruto's eyes widened more than they normally should be able to.

"Are you kidding me jiji? Me teaming up with this guy?" Laxus said at the smirking old mage as he immediately took his arm from the shorter blonde's shoulder.

"I thought you were good friends Laxus. Why would you have a problem in teaming up?" Makarov asked in a seemingly innocent tone.

"Wait a minute, whoever told you jiichan that I want to team up with him?" Naruto said as he pointed at Laxus.

"Huh? You wanna go at it again shortie?" Laxus said as he turned at Naruto with an angry look.

"Bring it sparky." Naruto said as the two blonds smacked their heads while Makarov sweatdropped.

'I would expect Laxus reacting like this, but Naruto too?' The old master thought as he watched the two teens' childish argument that reminded him too much of other four teens.

* * *

><p>At the same time, four certain Fairy Tail mages sneezed at the same time.<p>

"Bless you." Lisanna said with a giggle as the rest of the guildmembers looked in surprise.

A synchronized "Thank you Lisanna." Came from Mira, Erza, Natsu and Gray as the four teens looked at each other for a moment.

"All four of us sneezed at the same time?" Gray said as Erza nodded.

"It looks like we did." The redhead said.

"Maybe that's a sign." Lisanna said innocently as Happy flew above her with a fish in hand.

"Aye." The blue cat said.

"What was that you pornstar? You wanna fight?" Natsu said as he jumped at Gray.

"Get out of my face birdbrain." The ice mage said as the two teens started fighting again.

"They are at it again." Happy said with a deadpan look, making Lisanna giggle.

* * *

><p>"Airhead!"<p>

"Battery!"

"Will you two idiots shut the hell up?" Makarov yelled at the bickering teens which in turn turned to watch the old mage.

"Oh yeah. You were saying something about a team up." Naruto said as the two mages kept glaring daggers at each other.

"Let's talk about this at the guild." Makarov said with a serious expression, making Naruto and Laxus look back to the old master with a more serious expression as well. The two blonds then nodded as they followed Makarov back to the guild. On the way there, however, they kept glaring at each other while making funny grumping noises.

* * *

><p>"We are back." Makarov said as the three mages entered the guild.<p>

"Welcome back master." Mira said, though she looked uncharacteristically down for some reason. Naruto looked around to notice that the guild was, indeed, much more silent than normally at this time.

'What's going on?' The blond thought as Gildarts approached them.

"Master, I am going to do this mission." The orange haired mage said as he handed the mission paper to the old master. Makarov looked over the paper for a moment before his eyes widened.

"Are you sure you want to do this Gildarts?" He said as the Ace of Fairy Tail nodded. Naruto blinked as he tried to see what was on the paper. His eyes widened too when he saw the contents of it.

"The 100 year mission?" He said in shock as Mira and Erza approached them.

"I told Gildarts that he should wait for your approval before he goes." Mira said as Erza nodded. Makarov looked in thought before he cleared his throat.

"In that case, I'll let you go Gildarts. But on one condition: you will return safe and sound, you hear me?" The old master said as he stared at his strongest mage.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me master. I'll be over with this mission in no time." He said as he gave the old man a thumbs up before he went towards the door, not noticing Cana's saddened look.

'Father.' She thought as she witnessed her only family member exiting the guild.

"Bye Gildarts!" Natsu and Happy said as they waved their hands at him while he rose his hand too to greet them. Naruto stared at the older man's back before he glanced at his brunette friend.

'Cana.' He thought. As he was about to approach her, his thoughts were interrupted by Laxus.

"So, what's this about the teaming up jiji?" Laxus said, turning all attention to him. Makarov looked up as if he just remembered something.

"Right." He said to himself as he went towards the bar. "Remember when I told you about that dark guild Laxus?"

"Death's Hand." The lighting mage said as he nodded.

"Death's Hand? I've never heard of it." Erza said while many guild members nodded in agreement. Mira, on the other hand, looked serious as she stepped forward.

"It's that dark guild that worried you, right master?" The white haired girl said as she crossed her arms. Makarov nodded before he continued.

"Death's Hand used to be just a minor dark guild, but recently it grew stronger, most likely because of an alliance with one of the members of the Baram Alliance. The council has decided that action must be taken before it goes out of control so they contacted the strongest guilds in order to form an alliance." He said while the guild listened intently.

"Hm, it's about time the council recognized our strength." Laxus said as he grinned in satisfaction.

"Which are the other guilds master?" Erza voiced everyone's question. Makarov's pissed off look told the entire story.

"One of them is Blue Pegasus. That's not gonna be a problem as our relationships with them are good. Master Bob used to be in Fairy Tail after all." Makarov said in frustration. Natsu and Gray shivered at the name of Blue Pegasus' guildmaster.

'The guildmaster is still creepy.' They both thought as Makarov continued.

"However, the other guild is Phantom Lord." He added as the mages realized the reason of his anger.

'Phantom Lord. Metalicana's son Gajeel Redfox is a mage there.' Naruto thought as he remembered Grandeeney's words.

"What are you going to do now master? The council is obviously provoking you." Macao asked.

"I have no choice. There's no way I'll lose to Jose and that mission will get the council off our back for some time." Makarov said as he sighed. "That's why we'll send a team of two at the mission." He added then.

"You have someone in mind master?" Mira asked while Natsu jumped around yelling "Send me! Send me! I'll pummel them!"

"Shut up you naïve fool!" Erza shouted as she knocked out the dragon slayer with a punch to the head.

"You should have seen that one coming Natsu." Gray said as he shrugged.

"Back to the matter at hand, I actually thought about the team." Makarov said as the guildmembers stared at him in anticipation.

"Laxus and Naruto, you two will represent Fairy Tail in this joint mission." Makarov said as everyone's attention turned to the two blonds.

'So that's what you wanted with us earlier.' Naruto thought. Laxus scoffed before he turned at the shorter blond. The two of them stared at each other for some time.

'I didn't know that these guys were on bad terms.' Lisanna thought as she worriedly changed her attention from one blond to the other. Finally Laxus broke the eye contact as he went towards the exit.

"Be at the West Entrance at dawn. Don't be late." The lightning mage said as he exited the guild. Soon after that, everyone went back to their business. Naruto stood there before he went towards Cana. He found the brunette sitting at a stool near the bar drinking from a wooden cup. Macao, who was sitting next to her, looked up to see the approaching blond.

"Hey Naruto." The blue haired man greeted as Cana looked at the blond as well. Naruto immediately noticed the brunette's saddened face but chose not to comment at the time.

"Yo Macao." He greeted the older man. "How's little Romeo?"

"He's doing fine. That kid is growing up so fast that I hardly notice the time passing." Macao answered with pride for his son.

"You sound proud of him." Naruto said. The older man laughed before he patted the blonde's shoulder.

"Which father wouldn't be proud of his child? You'll know the feeling in the future Naruto." He said with a grin. Naruto smiled at Macao's statement.

"I know what you mean." He said as he remembered his own father. He then looked at Cana.

"I'm gonna borrow your drinking partner here for a while." The blond said as the brunette looked at him with a bored expression before she got up.

"Fine." She said as the two mages got out of the guild.

* * *

><p>"What is it Naruto?" Cana said when the teens got out of the guild.<p>

"Did you talk to him?" Naruto asked the brunette.

"No. I'm still not sure of what to tell him. And now he left for who knows how long so I can't talk to him. I must really be a coward." She said as she lowered her head and tried to hold back some sobs. The blond looked in worry as his friend was getting even more depressed while he didn't know what to do help her. Acting on impulse, he put his hands around Cana's back, surprising the brunette with this sudden action.

"Naruto?" She said in confusion as the blond gently hugged her.

"Don't worry about it. When he comes back from his mission you'll tell him the truth. And I'm sure that he'll be proud of you." Naruto said in order to comfort her. Cana blinked a couple of times before she relaxed.

"You're probably right. And who knows? Maybe by the time he returns I'll be an S Class mage as well." She said as she hugged Naruto too. "Thank you Naruto. You were a life saver here."

"You don't need to thank me." Naruto said as he gently broke the hug. "I told you already. Don't hesitate to talk to me about your problems. After all, friends help each other right?" He added with a grin. Cana gave him a thumbs up as she grinned too.

"You got it. Now I think I'll go back to my beer before it starts to feel lonely. Wanna come in?" She asked the blond who shook his head.

"Nah, you heard Laxus. I have to wake up early for the mission and I haven't slept in more than three days. We will drink after I come back." He said.

"You are right." Cana said as she sighed. "Oh well, just don't kill each other on the road, ok?" She added playfully.

"I'll try not to. He really pisses me off though." Naruto said, making the brunette laugh. He then turned to leave just as a guildmember was thrown out of the building.

"I would worry about your beer if I were you." The blond said as Cana ran inside the guild in order to save her precious drink.

* * *

><p><em>The blond stood there, unable to distinguish what's happening.<em>

_'Where am I?' He thought as he walked in the darkness._

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He suddenly heard a woman's cry as he started running towards the voice._

_"Where are you?"He shouted as he was falling into darkness._

* * *

><p>"!"<p>

Naruto woke up as he was panting heavily. The blond looked at his hands as he realized that he was covered in sweat. He then got up as he stared at himself in the mirror.

"Another dream." He whispered as he noticed the black circles that were starting to form around his eyes.

'I still don't get the meaning of it though. The voice keeps sounding more and more familiar.' He thought as he looked outside to notice that it was still night.

"Maybe a walk will help." He said to himself as he started getting dressed.

* * *

><p>Naruto was walking in the streets of Magnolia. He was so absorbed by his dream that he didn't notice that the sun was rising.<p>

"Naruto? What are you doing here so early?"

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice as Naruto turned to see that he found himself outside the guild.

"Mira. What are you doing here?" He said in surprise as the white haired girl smiled.

"I came to check some things in the guild since we are going to leave early in the morning." She said as she pointed at the building.

"I see." Naruto said before he sweatdropped as Mira came really close to him.

"What?"

"So that's how you look without the mask." Mira said as Naruto realized that he didn't take his mask with him when he left the house.

'Damn it.' He thought as Mira smiled.

"Lisanna was curious as to how you looked under the mask. Most of us actually. I am the first it seems." She said with a bit of pride.

"Actually, Cana has seen me too." Naruto said, surprising Mira. "It was an accident in that case as well."

"Cana huh? You guys are pretty close." Mira said.

"Yeah, we are good friends." Naruto obliviously said as Mira let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"Say Naruto?" She started, getting the blonde's attention.

"What is it?" He said.

"When we return from our respective missions, why don't we go on that mission that you said two weeks ago?" The white haired girl asked with a smile.

"Sure." Naruto said as he smiled as well. "What kind of mission will you go by the way?"

"I'll go with Elfman and Lisanna to take down the infamous Beast that's been terrorizing Northern Fiore." Mira said with a grin.

"Good luck then." Naruto said with a grin as he patted Mira on the shoulder. He then looked up as he realized that it was already dawn.

"Oh crap! I'm late for the meeting!" He said as he started running.

"Good luck Naruto!" Mira shouted as she waved at the blond.

"Thanks!" Naruto said with a grin as he requiped in his mission outfit and run towards the West Gate where Laxus was waiting.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Yahoo! I managed to write the next chapter before September comes. Mission accomplished :D Ahem, tiring chapter. Really tiring. Took me two days to write it. But it's ready now and I hope it was good. A lot of talking here, and in case anyone is confused with the italics in one scene, it's not a flashback but a dream. Just to clear this out. Now I really don't know when I'm gonna write the next chapter as I don't have anything ready in particular. Next chapter will involve the start of my new arc, Fight against Death's Hand! Don't miss it!  
>Oh, and wolf191000, I tried to post a reply but you have your PM disabled so I can't answer any of your questions from here.<br>Well, that ends another chapter. Marvey out.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback_

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 15

Naruto jumped from rooftop to rooftop as he looked up at the sky.

"It's dawn already. I'll never hear the end of it from that Laxus if I don't hurry." He said to himself as he picked up the pace. After a couple of moments, the blond could distinguish his new partner in the distance along with a familiar short figure. Naruto jumped in the air as he frontflipped and landed perfectly on his feet in front of a really bored Laxus.

"You're late Uzumaki." The lightning mage said as he adorned the typical scowl on hi face.

"Shut up sparky. I'm here, aren't I?" Naruto said as the two teens glared daggers at each other.

"Will you two idiots concentrate?" Makarov said in a slightly pissed off tone as the two teens turned to the old master.

"Now as I said to Laxus before you arrived Naruto, we don't know which are the mages that Blue Pegasus and Phantom Lord are going to send for the mission. I know that it will be challenging, but I want you to maintain at least a good level of relationship with them, even if Phantom tries something. You are both aware that the result of this mission and our contribution to it will influence the council's pressure on us." The wizard saint said.

"Don't worry about it jiichan, we will successfully complete the mission without causing significant damages." Naruto said as he gave a thumbs up to the old master while Laxus replied with a simple "Whatever."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Makarov said as he nodded before he continued.

"The meeting point is on the east roots of the mountains around Crocus. Blue Pegasus' Ichiya was kind as to offer this temporary alliance one of his mansions for a base. You'll know which one is it when you arrive there."

"Does that mean that Ichiya will be one of Blue Pegasus' mages?" Naruto asked.

"There's a high possibility. One last thing. From your "sparring" yesterday I can assume Naruto knows your secret Laxus so I tell you this; don't use your dragon slayer magic unless it's absolutely necessary. Is that clear?" Makarov said as his expression was more serious than before.

"Fine. I promise that I won't use it unless it's really necessary." Laxus said before he started walking towards the woods. Naruto looked at the departing form of his partner before he turned to Makarov.

"We'll be back in no time. You can count on that." He said to the old master before he went after Laxus.

"Good luck brats." Makarov said before he turned back to the city.

* * *

><p>"Hey Laxus, where are you going?" Naruto said once he caught up with the taller blond.<p>

"To the mission genius." The lightning mage said as he kept walking.

"First of all, this won't end well if you keep being hostile. I don't like this anymore than you but it was jiichan's decision so until we finish the mission we are partners. And secondly, are you planning on going all the way to the mountains on foot? Because I got transportation you know." The wind mage said, making Laxus stop. The taller blond put his hand in front of his mouth as he said something incoherent before he turned to the shorter blond.

"Let's just go on foot." He said before he continued walking. Naruto blinked for a moment before realization came to him.

"Wait a minute. You are a dragon slayer." Naruto started as Laxus turned with what Naruto could barely notice as terror on his face.

"You can't handle transportation, can you?" The wind mage asked as he was barely able to hold back his laughter. Laxus came right to his face, making the shorter blond stop laughing.

"You won't tell anyone about this. Got it little man?" The lightning mage said in a threatening tone.

"Sure, I definitely won't tell anyone about this." Naruto said though he kept laughing. 'Mira will love this.' The wind mage instantly thought.

"At any rate, the trip is long and don't intent to be there by tomorrow. I'm going to get my car. If you want to tag along, be my guest." Naruto added as he went to the spot where he parked the magic four wheel vehicle the other day.

"I swear, one day I'm going to kill you." Laxus said once his partner had returned.

"You are free to try walking headsets. Now will you get in or not? " Naruto said as the lighting mage begrudgingly boarded the car.

* * *

><p>"So who do you think is going to represent Blue Pegasus and Phantom Lord?" Naruto asked during their trip to Ichiya's mansion. The silence that he got as an answer made him turn behind to see Laxus struggling with motion sickness.<p>

"I hate you Uzumaki." The taller blond said as he was hanging from the window. Naruto laughed as he looked back on the road.

"At least you're faring better than Natsu." The wind mage said. Laxus sat on the couch as he leaned his head back.

"I hate to ask, but don't you have a spell that heals motion sickness?" The lightning mage asked as he stared at Naruto's back.

"Troia? Sure, I can cast it on you, but first you will admit that I'm a stronger mage than you." The shorter blond said as Laxus growled in annoyance. He suddenly got up and emptied the contents of his stomach out of the window.

"Fine. You are stronger than me, now will you get up from your ass and heal me?" Laxus yelled before he fell on his face. Naruto abruptly pulled the brakes as he stopped the magic car.

"What a guy. TROIA!" Naruto yelled as he placed his hands on Laxus and summoned his healing magic, nullifying the effects of motion sickness. The lightning mage lifted his head as he stared at the shorter blond.

"Thanks." He said as he sat back on the couch.

"Don't mention it." Naruto said as he went back to the driver's seat. "Let's just move on." He added as he put the SE-plug back on and started the engine.

* * *

><p>The rest of the trip passed in silence. Both teens were in their own thoughts until Laxus broke the silence.<p>

"You asked me a question earlier Uzumaki." The lightning mage said. The wind mage's nod made him continue.

"Phantom Lord has always aimed to top Fairy Tail. Jose Porla is jealous of jiji so he's going to send his best team as a message that his guild is the best in Fiore. Blue Pegasus, on the other hand, doesn't care about that. Most of Master Bob's top mages are eccentric, but apparently they can get the job done." Laxus said as Naruto listened.

"So we have to show our strength as well huh? I can see why jiichan send us for this mission." The shorter blond said. Laxus could almost notice the grin that was hidden behind the mask.

"Don't get so cocky Uzumaki. I don't want to explain to jiji how you got your ass kicked while I had to save you." The lightning mage said with a smirk.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Naruto said as he looked as if he just noticed that Laxus was talking, making the taller blond grumble.

'His strongest mages huh?' Naruto thought as he tried to remember whatever information he had on Jose Porla's guild.

'Either members of the Element Four, or… Gajeel Redfox.'

* * *

><p>After a short time, the two Fairy Tail mages finally reached Ichiya's mansion. As Naruto jumped off the driver's seat, he examined the building. It was a two-storied white mansion with two clock towers on the sides. The most notable things, however, were the heart shaped window on the center of the second floor and the fact that the building itself was sparkling. The wind mage rubbed his eyes as he watched the building one more time.<p>

"Is the mansion sparkling?" He asked as Laxus got out of the car.

"What are you talking about?" The lightning mage said as he then looked at the building himself.

"That's definitely one of Ichiya Vandeley Kotobuki's mansions." He said before he snapped out of his stupor.

"The other teams have probably arrived. Let's go." Laxus said as Naruto looked away.

"You are right." The wind mage said. The two teens then entered the mansion.

"That's odd. There's no one here." Laxus said as they found themselves at the hall of the mansion. Naruto looked around as he treaded further in. His eyes widened as he spun around and summoned a sword, blocking an attack from behind.

"Uzumaki!" Laxus shouted before he turned to look at a blue haired girl with a navy blue coat, a fur shawl with a teru teru bōzu attached to it, as well as a Russian Cossack hat and a pink umbrella. He instantly gathered lightning in his hands as Naruto noticed his attacker's appearance. He was a muscular teen with long, spiky black hair, red eyes with slitted black pupils, piercings all over his body while his outfit consisted a shabby, black, sleeveless tunic with studded edges, with a studded belt around his waist, loose whitish pants tucked inside studded black boots, and a pair of studded brown gloves paired with similarly studded wristbands. The most notable things, however, were the symbol on his left shoulder as well as the fact that his left hand had the shape of an iron blade.

"What's the meaning of this? Aren't you guys from Phantom Lord?" The wind mage said as he jumped back with the sword still in his hand.

"Good reflexes, for a Fairy Clown. Gihi." The raven haired teen said.

"Drip drip drop. Yes, Juvia and Gajeel-kun are a Phantom Lord mage." The blunette said in a monotone voice.

"Why you!" Laxus said angrily as he was about to strike the raven haired Phantom mage when someone interrupted them.

"Please, calm down everyone."

All four mages turned their to the right as a young man of average height with spiky, messy brownish blond hair framing his face, dark eyes and noticeably long eyelashes descended a long staircase. His outfit consisted of a black tuxedo with light blue lines circling each sleeve and lower leg and Blue Pegasus' symbol on its left shoulder as well as polished dark dress shoes.

"My name is Hibiki Lates, a member Blue Pegasus' Trimens." The young man said as he looked at the gathered mages who cancelled their respective magic. The brown haired man then stared at Juvia as he instantly appeared next to her.

"Your beauty precedes your reputation Juvia Lockser." He said as he kissed the blunette's hand, shocking everyone there except a bored looking Laxus.

"EH?" Juvia exclaimed as she was blushed furiously.

"That came out of nowhere!" Naruto said while Gajeel balled his fists.

"Keep your hands to yourself you playboy!" The raven haired teen as he was ready to pummel the Blue Pegasus mage.

"My my, what have we here? Four men fighting for one girl? I swear, guys can be so easily manipulated."

Everyone turned once again to the stairs' direction as a green haired woman walked down. She had brown eyes and her outfit consisted of a blue hat with white-colored Blue Pegasus's symbol, a long furry red coat with a light pink furry collar and handcuffs on top of a cream and black bikini top which showed her Blue Pegasus symbol that was located on the lower left part of her abdomen, a knee-length dark purple skirt with light brown socks and red high-heeled shoes. Naruto's widened as he recognized the woman.

"You are, Karen Lilica!" He said as the woman approached the group.

"I leave you for five minutes and you already flirt with other women Hibiki? I'm disappointed." Karen said to her partner who nervously laughed in return. The green haired woman smirked as she turned to Gajeel.

"Gajeel Redfox, if you keep acting so obnoxiously, you will never get yourself a girl." She mockingly said to the raven haired teen who growled in return.

"That's not your business woman!" The dragon slayer said. Karen obviously ignored him as she approached Naruto.

"Why don't you act more like a man like Naruto-kun here?" She said as she caressed the blonde's masked cheek. "What's the secret behind the mask?" The green haired woman asked in a seductive tone while Naruto tensed.

"WILL YOU PEOPLE CONCENTRATE!?" Laxus yelled at the other mages. Naruto smiled under his mask as he turned to the others.

"Laxus is right. We came here to take down a dark guild, not fool around. Hibiki, do you have anything on the Archive about Death's Hand?" The blond said as he turned to the Blue Pegasus mage.

"Yeah." Hibiki said as he stretched his hands and started typing in the air. Soon after, electronic characters appeared in the air as the archive mage turned to the alliance.

"Death's Hand's base is somewhere inside the forest up ahead. It's not going to be easy searching for it since Death's Hand has a big number of mages at their disposal which, according to my latest scans before you arrived, have scattered across the entire area. The only you might have in facing them is the numbers game." Hibiki said while a big map of the location was shown on the screen.

"That's no problem for me, gihi." Gajeel said as he grinned.

"That may be." Hibiki said with a smile before his expression turned serious again. "However, there are some guys within Death's Hand that you need to look out for. They are the guild's elite team, all of them expert mages. It's a team of five, hence the reason that there are six of us here. And that's not counting their guildmaster who is feared for his forbidden techniques."

"I've heard about them." Laxus said as he leaned on the wall. "Incredibly strong and sadistic or so they say. They call themselves The Claws of Death."

"They think they are hot stuff huh? Bring them all to me and I'll beat them to a pulp!" Gajeel said enthusiastically as he bumped his fists, making Laxus facepalm.

"This guy is as annoying as Natsu." He said as the dragon slayer turned towards him.

"Don't compare me to that half ass mage Salamander!" Gajeel said. Everyone was surprised as all of a sudden Naruto appeared in front of Gajeel while pointing a dagger at the dragon slayer's throat.

"I don't take it kindly when people look down on my friends Redfox." The wind mage said with an uncharacteristically cold voice as Gajeel grinned.

"Ha? You wanna go at it blondie?" The dragon slayer said as Juvia, who was silent all this time, stepped in.

"Gajeel-kun please stand down. Juvia thinks that there's no reason to fight with Naruto-san." The water mage said at the same time that Laxus moved from the wall.

"Water girl is right Uzumaki. Drop it for now." He said though it was obvious that he wanted to punch a hole in the Phantom Lord mage's stomach himself. Naruto switched glances between Gajeel, Juvia and Laxus before he cancelled his magic.

"I was joking blondie. You take things way too seriously." Gajeel mockingly said before he turned to Hibiki. "So you got at least any leads on how to find the big fish?" He asked as the Blue Pegasus mage nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I do." The brown haired mage said as he typed on the virtual keyboard, showing a path on the map.

"If we take this path, we will get into Death's Hand territory. I can't guarantee that it's a safe route but it's most likely the fast way to the base." He added as data bars appeared above the mages' heads.

"What's this? Juvia feels information sinking her head." Juvia said as the bars disappeared.

"This is another of the uses of my archive magic. I can send information stored as data in other people." Hibiki said as the map dissolved. "It's the route in case we have to split."

"What are we waiting for then?" Gajeel said as he grinned. "Let's go take them down!"

"I agree with Redfox." Naruto said. "That's what we came for after all."

"I think it's best if we move as a team for the moment." Hibiki said as the others nodded.

* * *

><p>"So you can turn your body into water?" Hibiki asked Juvia as the two of them walked ahead of the rest.<p>

"Yes, Juvia has recently managed to turn herself into water. No physical attacks work on Juvia." The blunette said with a hint of pride in her voice.

"That's amazing Juvia." Naruto said from the back of the group, making Juvia blush at the praise. Karen scoffed as she turned to Laxus with a sweet expression.

"Laxus-kun, you know how to appreciate a woman, don't you?" She said in a seductive voice as she clung to the taller blond.

"You're feeling jealous of Juvia aren't you?" The lightning mage said with a smirk as Karen pouted. At the same time, Naruto moved faster to keep up with Gajeel.

"Redfox, I want to ask you a question." The wind mage said as the dragon slayer turned to him.

"Huh? You got something to say blondie?" He said in a provoking tone which Naruto tried to ignore.

"What do you know about the dragon slayers in Fiore?" The blond asked surprising the raven haired teen.

"Why would you ask about the dragon slayers? You know something?" Gajeel asked back as he was still surprised.

"I have my reasons." Naruto answered. "Now do you know if there is any other dragon slayer besides you and Natsu?" The raven haired teen thought for a moment before he answered.

"Now that you mention it, I have heard rumours about a dragon slayer somewhere in the north, but I'm not buying it." He said.

"You think it could be a trap?" Naruto said as Gajeel nodded.

"Yeah. Not many dragons existed here in the first place so I doubt there are any other dragon slayers." The dragon slayer said. Naruto was about to talk when he suddenly stopped, making Laxus fall on him.

"Hey, what the hell Uzumaki?" the lightning mage said as Naruto raised a hand to stop the others.

"We have company."

Soon after, people started appearing from the trees around the path, surrounding the six mages as a tall guy with flaming orange spiky hair appeared in front of them. He was wearing an orange flak jacket which he left opened, exposing a black symbol of the reaper, black pants with orange flames at the sides and straw sandals.

"You people must be really stupid to walk across this path and talk so loudly. It's like you wanted us to find you." The orange haired man said with a loud voice as the people around him started laughing.

"So this is one of the Claws of Death." Naruto said as he took a battle stance.

"How are you sure?" Gajeel said as he took a stance too.

"The rest of the guys are mini fries. His magic however is a different topic." The blond said.

"Naruto-san is right." Hibiki said. "His name is Han and he's known for his fire magic."

Han looked at them with a curious expression before he started laughing.

"They send only six mages to take us down? HAHAHAHAHAHA! What a joke!" He said as he kept laughing.

"Kill them." He said as he left while the other dark mages attacked the alliance.

"We can't let him escape!" Naruto said as he dashed forward.

"Wait Naruto-san! Let's deal with these guys first!" Hibiki shouted at the wind mage who jumped from mage to mage.

"That's why Fairy Tail is inferior to Phantom Lord." Gajeel said as he dashed at the dark mages.

"TETSURYUKEN!" The iron dragon slayer yelled as he started taking out the mages with his sword shaped hand.

"OPEN THE GATE OF THE RAM: ARIES!" Karen yelled as she took out a golden key with the crest of the ram. The key then glowed as a pink haired girl with a pair of twisted horns and a white wool short dress and shorts.

"Did you call me? I'm sorry!" Aries asked.

"Take these punks out!" Karen said with a commanding voice as a couple of dark mages approached them.

"Hey guys look, two hot girls here. Let's get them!" One the mages said as they attacked Karen and Aries.

"WOOL WALL!" Aries yelled as she threw a wave of pink wool that turned into a wall, trapping the dark mages within. Meanwhile, Laxus, Gajeel and Juvia were taking out mages while Hibiki blew them away with his magic. No one realized that Naruto had gone past the dark mages and was on his way to fight Han.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** And finally we officially take off with the fight against Death's Hand. Sorry for the slightly smaller chapter but I didn't think of anything else to add, it's like a prelude after all with introducing the representatives of Phantom Lord and Blue Pegasus. Next chapter will feature the start of some of the solo fights which means a lot of scene changing here and there. And I'm thinking about posting a poll on my profile about who will fight the guildmaster, I still haven't decided about that as I want to give the characters the same amount of screen time, meaning that I'll try to give credit to all them for the mission and not just Naruto and Laxus. Anyway, I really have no idea when I'm going to post the next chapter but I do hope that will be in less than four days from tomorrow. As always, I'd like to thank those who view, favourite, review and put this story to their alerts. Until later. Marvey out.**


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback  
>"Telepathy"<em>

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 16

"Redfox, I want to ask you a question." Naruto said as the dragon slayer turned to him.

"Huh? You got something to say blondie?" He said in a provoking tone which the blond tried to ignore.

"What do you know about the dragon slayers in Fiore?" The blond asked surprising the raven haired teen.

"Why would you ask about the dragon slayers? You know something?" Gajeel asked back as he was still surprised.

"I have my reasons." Naruto answered. "Now do you know if there is any other dragon slayer besides you and Natsu?" The raven haired teen thought for a moment before he answered.

"Now that you mention it, I have heard rumors about a dragon slayer somewhere in the north, but I'm not buying it." He said.

"You think it could be a trap?" Naruto said as Gajeel nodded.

"Yeah. Not many dragons existed here in the first place so I doubt there are any other dragon slayers." The dragon slayer said. Naruto was about to talk when he suddenly stopped, making Laxus fall on him.

"Hey, what the hell Uzumaki?" the lightning mage said as Naruto raised a hand to stop the others.

"We have company."

Soon after, people started appearing from the trees around the path, surrounding the six mages as a tall guy with flaming orange spiky hair and red eyes appeared in front of them. He was wearing an orange flak jacket which he left opened, exposing a black symbol of the reaper, black pants with orange flames at the sides and straw sandals.

"You people must be really stupid to walk across this path and talk so loudly. It's like you wanted us to find you." The orange haired man said with a loud voice as the people around him started laughing.

"So this is one of the Claws of Death." Naruto said as he took a battle stance.

"How are you sure?" Gajeel said as he took a stance too.

"The rest of the guys are mini fries. His magic however is a different topic." The blond said.

"Naruto-san is right." Hibiki said. "His name is Han and he's known for his fire magic."

Han looked at them with a curious expression before he started laughing.

"They send only six mages to take us down? HAHAHAHAHAHA! What a joke!" He said as he kept laughing.

"Kill them." He said as he left while the other dark mages attacked the alliance.

"We can't let him escape!" Naruto said as he dashed forward.

"Wait Naruto-san! Let's deal with these guys first!" Hibiki shouted at the wind mage who jumped from mage to mage.

"That's why Fairy Tail is inferior to Phantom Lord." Gajeel said as he dashed at the dark mages.

"TETSURYUKEN!" The iron dragon slayer yelled as he started taking out the mages with his sword shaped hand.

"OPEN THE GATE OF THE RAM: ARIES!" Karen yelled as she took out a golden key with the crest of the ram. The key then glowed as a pink haired girl with a pair of twisted horns and a white wool short dress and shorts.

"Did you call me? I'm sorry!" Aries asked.

"Take these punks out!" Karen said with a commanding voice as a couple of dark mages approached them.

"Hey guys look, two hot girls here. Let's get them!" One the mages said as they attacked Karen and Aries.

"WOOL WALL!" Aries yelled as she threw a wave of pink wool that turned into a wall, trapping the dark mages within. Meanwhile, Laxus, Gajeel and Juvia were taking out mages while Hibiki blew them away with his magic. No one realized that Naruto had gone past the dark mages and was on his way to fight Han.

* * *

><p>The blond was jumping from tree to tree as he heard the dark mage's laughter.<p>

"HIHIHIHIHIHI! Catch me if you can legal mage!" Han shouted at Naruto as he was running away, his crazy laughter echoing in the forest.

"That bastard is toying with me." Naruto said as he picked up the pace. He suddenly came at a halt as he noticed a tag stuck at a tree.

"Oh shit!" The blond exclaimed as he jumped back just as the tag exploded, sending twigs and branches all over the place.

'It's a trap!' Naruto thought as some hooded figures appeared out of nowhere. His eyes widened when he noticed the symbol of a red-black cloud on the figures cloaks.

"Who are you!?" The blond yelled as the hooded figures prepared to attack.

* * *

><p>Gajeel grinned as he knocked out the last dark mage with an iron punch.<p>

"These guys weren't even worth for warm up, gihi." The dragon slayer said as he cancelled his magic. Hibiki wept the sweat from his forehead as he looked around.

"Is everyone ok?" The brown haired teen asked.

"Juvia thinks so." Juvia said as she approached Hibiki and Gajeel. The guild mages then turned as Laxus threw a dark mage on the ground.

"This guys doesn't know anything either. They were careful about their hideout." The lightning mage said as he approached the group.

"We'll find them Laxus-san. Most importantly, are we all here?" Hibiki said.

"Naruto-san is not here. Juvia saw him chasing down that Han." Juvia said in her monotone voice.

"That moron." Laxus said as Gajeel pounded his fists.

"So what if that Fairy Clown got ahead? If he is as good as he pretends to be, then he will beat that Han. And if he is lucky, he might find their base or something." The dragon slayer said. Before anyone could answer, an explosion inside the forest got their attention.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that this came from Naruto." Karen said as Hibiki placed his index and middle finger on his forehead.

"I'll try to contact him." The brown haired man said as he activated his telepathy magic.

"It's no use Hibiki. He's already fighting and that's what we should do as well." Laxus said.

"But what about Naruto-san?" Juvia asked.

"Don't worry about Uzumaki." Laxus said as he started walking. "He may be an idiot but he can take care of himself. Besides, one of us is bound to run into him since we are targeting Death's Hand. Let's split up."

"I agree with Dreyar." Gajeel said. "We came here to destroy Death's Hand, not chat." As the two mages walked in the forest Juvia ran in as well.

"Wait for Juvia." She said as she vanished in the forest, leaving Hibiki and Karen alone.

"Well, I guess we should be going Karen?" Hibiki said.

"Hn, whatever. Let's get this over with." The green haired woman said as the two Blue Pegasus mages entered the dense forest.

* * *

><p>Naruto jumped back as he dodged a fire ball, courtesy of one of the hooded mages. The blond landed on a branch, only to jump again as this time he dodged a water attack.<p>

'Their techniques look familiar. What's going on here?' Naruto thought as he kept dodging various attacks.

'I have to get on the offensive or this will never end.' The blond thought as he dashed towards the closest mage and tried to take him out with a punch. To his shock, he just passed through the figure.

"What?" He said just as he got a fire ball to his back.

"Gwa!" The blond exclaimed as he fell on the ground. He lifted his head to see all of them going through some hand signs before they stopped on the tiger. Naruto smiled under his mask as he got up and started gathering magic. When the figures launched their fire balls, the blond lowered his mask.

"KAZE BAKUFUU!" He yelled as he threw a wind blast that completely extinguished the fire attacks and took out the hooded figures one by one. As the figures fell to the ground, one by one they started popping.

"You almost got me there." Naruto said as he wore back his mask. "This was some sort of an illusion, wasn't it?"

The sound of clapping made the blond stop as he turned to see Han.

"Good job. Bravo! Bravo!" The orange haired mage said as he approached Naruto and the hooded figure while still clapping.

"You are not dumb after all Leaf Hurricane." He said as his expression turned from amused to enraged.

"You, on the other hand, disappointed me." Han said as he turned to the hooded mage.

"Please Han-sama, don't do this." The hooded mage said as he crawled back. Han smiled before he sent a fire ball at the hooded mage, instantly burning him to a crisp.

"You bastard!" Naruto said as he balled his fists in anger. Han turned to him with a sadistic smile.

"Oh? You got angry? He was just a dark mage." The orange haired man said before he suddenly got punched to the face by an enraged Naruto.

"Scum who don't care about their comrades. I won't forgive you!" The blond said as he dashed at Han while still in midair and launched a barrage of punches at the orange haired mage, putting him through a couple of trees. Naruto then landed as he waited for the dust to dissipated while still on guard.

"Is that all?"

Naruto's eyes widened as Han came out of the rumbles as if nothing happened.

"Is that all there is to the fabled power of the Leaf Hurricane?" The orange haired man said as he walked towards the blond. In a blink of the eye Han punched Naruto to the chest, sending him away.

"Please." He said in a mocking tone as Naruto skidded to the ground, only to be punched to the ground by a grinning Han.

"HELL FIRE!" The orange haired mage yelled as he jumped in the air and launched a barrage of giant fire balls at the blond, causing a massive explosion that burned part of the forest. The smoke slowly dispersed, leaving a growling Naruto. His clothes were heavily burnt except the pants as Han laughed like a maniac.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Weak! You are really weak Leaf Hurricane!" The orange haired man yelled as he kept laughing. Naruto looked angry as he ripped the remains of his shirt.

'His fire is much different than Natsu's. There's something more to it.' The blond thought as he stared at his opponent. Han stopped laughing as he looked at Naruto with a cocky expression.

"Say Hurricane, I'll make this easier for you. I'll let you hit me once. I won't dodge it. Hit me with everything you've got and it still won't even scratch me." The orange haired man said as he looked down on the blond. Naruto chuckled as Han looked at him with a confused expression.

"Why are you laughing? Answer me!" Han said with an annoyed expression as Naruto smiled at him.

"That was just the warm up Han. Now that I got a handle of your magic I will defeat you in no time!" Naruto said as he appeared in front of Han and went for a punch which Han barely dodged.

"Why you!" The orange haired mage said as he tried to kick Naruto, only for the blond to catch Han's leg like its nothing and throw him in the air. The blond then dashed at the flying Han and kneed him in the head, then proceeded with an elbow to the gut that sent the orange haired mage to the ground. As Han descended from the force, Naruto caught up with him while in mid air and planted him down with an axe kick.

"Gha!" Han exclaimed as blood came out his mouth when he crashed on the ground. The orange haired mage tried to get up only for Naruto to come from below with a punch to the gut, making Han spit more blood. However, as Naruto was about to punch the orange haired mage, Han grabbed his wrists while grinning. The blonde's eyes widened as Han exploded, sending him to a rock.

"Damn it!" Naruto said as he spun around to avoid the collision with the rocks.

"You are a fool Hurricane. You came too close to me." Han said as his hands glowed.

"Explosive magic?" Naruto said. He then noticed that his wrists were scorched.

"Got me." Han said as he wept the blood from his mouth.

'That's what felt different in his fire magic. It's not solely fire.' Naruto thought. The blond jumped back as the ground below him exploded.

"You said that you got a handle of my magic Hurricane? You have no idea what I'm capable of." Han said as he engulfed himself with fire. Naruto smirked as he landed on the trunk of a tree.

"You want to play like this? Let's play then!" The blond shouted as he engulfed himself with wind and dashed at the fire engulfed Han.

* * *

><p>Soon after they spitted, Juvia took the direction she saw Naruto take.<p>

"If Naruto-san fights that Han then he might find their hideout if he defeats him. Juvia can help in this case." The water mage said as she walked across a path in the woods.

'Juvia doesn't know how to contact Gajeel-kun or the others though. Juvia is on her own.' She thought as she found herself walking near a small river. The blunette stopped walking when she felt someone's eyes on her back.

"Come out. I know where you are." She said in her calm voice.

"You managed to find me despite my hidden form." A deep voice was heard as Juvia turned to her left where the voice came from.

"Very well then. As a reward I'll show myself." The voice said as a bulky man came seemingly out of nowhere. He had spiky dark green hair that resembled vines, green eyes and wore brown pants.

"Who are you?" Juvia asked as she dropped into her fighting stance.

"My name is Shihor, and as you probably figured already, I am a member of Death's Claws." The green haired man said as the veins in his hands popped. "And I have orders to kill anyone in sight."

"Too bad for you, you won't kill anyone from now on." Juvia said with a serious expression.

"We'll see about that, Juvia Lockser!" Shihor said as vines sprouted out of his body which were launched at the blunette. The green haired man was shocked, however, when the vines passed through Juvia's body.

"But how?" he said as the water mage came at him.

"Juvia's body is not affected by physical attacks. WATER CANE!" Juvia yelled as she formed a cane out of water and stabbed Shihor in the chest.

"It's over." Juvia said before her eyes widened as Shihor's body was, in fact, a piece of wood.

"Is it now?" The green haired man's voice was heard as vines came out of the ground, covering Juvia's body as she stared in shock.

"How sad to see one of Jose Porla's best to be defeated so easily." Shihor said as he appeared in front of her with a mad smile. "Too sad." He added as he smacked Juvia with his wooden hand.

* * *

><p>Naruto jumped back as he clashed one more time with Han.<p>

'This guy is good. I can see why he is one of the top in Death's Hand.' The blond thought when he heard a woman's scream echoing in the distance.

'Juvia!' Naruto thought as he realized who the woman was. The blond looked down as he gathered magic in his mouth.

"What are you doing you idiot? I'm up here!" Han said as he dashed at the wind mage.

'KAZE BAKUFUU!' Naruto thought as he threw the wind blast on the ground, causing a small explosion.

"What the?" Han said as he was temporarily blinded. The blond used this to his advantage as he dashed towards the location where he heard Juvia's scream. When the smoke dispersed, Han realized that Naruto was gone.

"That bastard. He went after Shihor." He said before he smiled.

"It doesn't matter. In the end, I will make you suffer and wish that you were dead Naruto Uzumaki." The orange haired man said as he started laughing.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Karen and Hibiki stood back to back as they were surrounded by a big number of Death's Hand's mages.<p>

"How are you holding up Karen?" Hibiki asked as he held a barrier around them.

"I'm fine Hibiki. You don't need to worry about me." Karen said with a strong voice, though the brown haired man easily noticed the fatigue in the green haired woman's voice.

'You are always acting tough Karen.' Hibiki thought with a smile as his hands glowed.

"FORCE BLAST!" The brown haired man yelled as the barrier's exterior exploded, knocking out all of the dark mages.

"You don't have to push yourself Karen. I'm here for you." The archive mage said as he put his hand around Karen's waist for support.

"I- thank you Hibiki." The green haired woman said as she gave an uncharacteristically warm smile to her partner. The two Blue Pegasus mages then started walking as Hibiki searched for a hiding spot for Karen to recuperate. As they walked, he activated his telepathy to check on the rest.

"I got Naruto-san's signal." Hibiki said as he tried to connect with the blond.

* * *

><p>"<em>Naruto-san. Can you hear me?<em>"

The blonde's eyes widened as he jumped from tree to tree while searching for Juvia.

"_Hibiki, is that you?_" Naruto asked.

"_Yes. I'm talking with you via telepathy._ _Are you ok?_" Hibiki said.

"_I'm fine. Listen, can you pinpoint Juvia's location and send it to me with your data transferring?_" The wind mage said, the urgency evident in his voice.

"_I'll try to. Did something happen to her?_" The archive mage asked as Naruto kept jumping.

"_I heard her screaming. Did you find anything?_" Naruto said.

"_I can't seem to find her. Something is blocking the signal._" Hibiki said.

"_Damn it!_" Naruto said "_I'll find her. How are the others?_"

"_I'll try to talk with them now. Good luck Naruto-san_" Hibiki said as he shut down the communications.

"Hang on Juvia, I'm coming." The blond said as he picked up the pace.

* * *

><p>"This forest is filled with weaklings. Where is a real challenge?" Gajeel said as he lazily walked across the woods.<p>

"I'm guessing that bastard Uzumaki is having fun right now with that orange haired freak. What was his name?" The dragon slayer said before his eyes fell on a figure that was lying by the woods.

"Rain Woman?" Gajeel said as he ran towards the unconscious figure of Juvia. The blunette slowly opened her eyes as she stared at the dragon slayer.

"Gajeel-kun?" She weakly said before her eyes closed again.

"Oi! Hang in there!" Gajeel said as he shook her in order to help her regain consciousness. Juvia opened her eyes again as she got in a sitting position.

"What happened?" She said before she looked at Gajeel.

"Gajeel-kun!" The blunette suddenly shouted as she threw herself at him, making Gajeel's eyes widen.

"Thank you!" She said as she hugged the dragon slayer. Gajeel was shocked at first, but then he grinned.

'I see.' He thought as he picked her up.

"Come on, we have to move on." He said as Juvia nodded. However, when Gajeel turned his back on her, Juvia slammed her palm on his back.

"You are naïve Gajeel-kun." Juvia said in a mocking tone as acid came out of her hand. She was shocked when it was ineffective.

"You are underestimating a dragon slayer's nose woman." Gajeel said as he turned around and grabbed "Juvia" from the neck.

"Why? Why is my poison magic not effective?" The imposter said as the pressure forced her to take her real form, which was one of a curvy woman with purple hair, light blue eyes, a white shirt which left the belly exposed and short jeans.

"I was prepared for something like that." Gajeel said as his expression was dark. The dragon slayer lifted the woman and threw her to a tree. As the purple haired woman collided with a tree, Gajeel turned his hand into an iron club and smacked her on the stomach, holding her there.

"Now I'll ask only once before I get rougher." The iron dragon slayer said with a threatening voice as his eyes flashed red in the darkness. "Where is your hideout?"

* * *

><p>"<em>I see. Thank you for sharing Gajeel-san.<em>" Hibiki said as he turned to Karen.

"Gajeel-san got the location of Death's Hand's hideout from one of the Claws of Death." The brown haired man said.

"He actually did something useful?" Karen said in a surprised tone.

"Now now, you don't have to be mean. He might be extreme, but he's not Phantom Lord's top mage for nothing." Hibiki said as he tried to find the rest of the guild mages via telepathy.

"Hn, nothing but a bunch of bullies, that's what Phantom Lord is." Karen scoffed as Hibiki hit the ground with his fist.

"I still can't find Juvia-san and Naruto-san is blocking the connection himself." The brown haired man said in frustration.

"He is trying to find that water girl, though I don't understand why. Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord have never been on good terms." Karen said as she got up. "Let's go to their hideout."

"Hold on." Hibiki said as he got up too. "I found Laxus-san."

* * *

><p>"<em>So that iron head found the hideout?<em>" Laxus said in a bored tone.

"_Somehow. I'm sending you location right now._" Hibiki said as a bar appeared above Laxus' head.

"_I'll head there._" Laxus said.

"_Good. We're on our way as well._" Hibiki said as he shut down the communications.

"Now that that's out of the way." Laxus said as he looked around him where a large number of dark mages had gathered. "Let's take out the mini fries."

"Don't think of us as so weak guild mage!" A guy among them said as they all attacked him at once.

"You guys." Laxus said as he closed his eyes.

"YOU ANNOY ME!" the tall blond yelled as lightning erupted from his body, electrocuting everyone around him.

"Hn, lowlifes." Laxus said as he started walking before he jumped in the air as the ground turned muddy all of a sudden. The lightning mage landed on the ground, only for the same thing to happen again as he made it just in time before the ground became muddy again. This time, however, rock pillars came out of the ground directly towards Laxus. The lightning mage spun in the air as he easily destroyed them with his fists, then instantly stretched his legs to stop a pillar came from another direction. The blond used the pillar as leverage to propel himself to the ground as he scanned the place.

"Show yourself or I'll make you to!" He yelled at the forest in frustration. In response, the ground beneath Laxus turned muddy again, causing the blond to jump to a thick branch in order to avoid the ground as he kept scanning the place.

"Your reflexes are good for your size Laxus Dreyar. As expected from the grandson of Makarov." Laxus heard as a person emerged from the ground. He had black eyes, shaved head with earrings and wore a black shirt, khaki combat pants and brown boots.

"However." He added as pillars emerged from the floor one more time, destroying the tree as Laxus jumped out of the way. "In the end it's all in vain."

"Say that again!" Laxus shouted as he turned into lightning and dashed directly at the bald man. His eyes widened as he went right through the man who had turned into mud.

"Don't you realize it Dreyar?" The bald man said. "I'm Jay, the strongest of the Claws of Death. You have no chance of winning."

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** And cut! Back with the cliff hangers now that the fights have officially started. It was challenging to create a guild of my own without it being boring, which I hope it isn't. The next chapters will be as challenging as this since I'll have to work with some characters for the first time. But then again, this by itself is interesting I believe.  
>I felt kinda disheartened though by the last chapter. I know it wasn't my best, but at least I expected some reviews. Don't get me wrong, but an author likes to see reception to his works whether he is an amateur or a professional. Oh well, the show will go on anyway. One more thing; the story is officially a year old! This calls for a happy birthday! Yoohoo!<br>Ahem, next chapter will feature the continuation of the guild alliance's quest to defeat Death's Hand. Do not miss it!  
>Until later everyone. Marvey out.<strong>


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback  
>"Telepathy"<em>

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 17

"_So that iron head found the hideout?_" Laxus said in a bored tone.

"_Somehow. I'm sending you location right now._" Hibiki said as a bar appeared above Laxus' head.

"_I'll head there._" Laxus said.

"_Good. We're on our way as well._" Hibiki said as he shut down the communications.

"Now that that's out of the way." Laxus said as he looked around him where a large number of dark mages had gathered. "Let's take out the mini fries."

"Don't think of us as so weak guild mage!" A guy among them said as they all attacked him at once.

"You guys." Laxus said as he closed his eyes.

"YOU ANNOY ME!" the tall blond yelled as lightning erupted from his body, electrocuting everyone around him.

"Hn, lowlifes." Laxus said as he started walking before he jumped in the air as the ground turned muddy all of a sudden. The lightning mage landed on the ground, only for the same thing to happen again as he made it just in time before the ground became muddy again. This time, however, rock pillars came out of the ground directly towards Laxus. The lightning mage spun in the air as he easily destroyed them with his fists, then instantly stretched his legs to stop a pillar came from another direction. The blond used the pillar as leverage to propel himself to the ground as he scanned the place.

"Show yourself or I'll make you to!" He yelled at the forest in frustration. In response, the ground beneath Laxus turned muddy again, causing the blond to jump to a thick branch in order to avoid the ground as he kept scanning the place.

"Your reflexes are good for your size Laxus Dreyar. As expected from the grandson of Makarov." Laxus heard as a person emerged from the ground. He had black eyes, a shaved head with earrings and wore a black shirt, khaki combat pants and brown boots.

"However." He added as pillars emerged from the floor one more time, destroying the tree as Laxus jumped out of the way. "In the end it's all in vain."

"Say that again!" Laxus shouted as he turned into lightning and dashed directly at the bald man. His eyes widened as he went right through the man who had turned into mud.

"Don't you realize it Dreyar?" The bald man said. "I'm Jay, the strongest of the Claws of Death. You have no chance of winning."

'He opened a hole in his body.' Laxus thought as he flashed away. The blond turned his body to normal as he placed his palms in an even distance, creating a sphere of lightning.

"THUNDER BULLETS!" The lightning mage yelled as big lightning orbs came out of the sphere towards the still liquefied Jay.

"ROCK WALL!" The bald man yelled as he created a wall from the ground which nullified the orbs.

"That's one sturdy wall." Laxus said as Jay smirked.

"There's more to that. DEMON STONE PILLARS!" Jay yelled as pillars emerged from the wall.

"That again?" The lighting mage said in annoyance as he starting breaking the pillars with his fists. His eyes widened as he jumped back to dodge a barrage of rock pikes.

"Come on Dreyar! Is dodging all you can do?" Jay shouted as he slammed his hands on the floor.

"PLANET"S DESTRUCTION!" He yelled as the ground cracked, the rocks that came out of it merging together to form a giant sphere. Laxus jumped back as he started charging.

"DODGE THIS DREYAR!" Jay shouted as he launched the sphere at the blond who grinned.

"Hn, jiji will kill me if he somehow finds out about this." He said to himself as he started gathering lightning to his fist.

"RAIRYU NO HOKEN!" The lightning mage yelled as he smashed his lightning engulfed fist to the rock sphere, generating a large sound wave as Jay was pushed back from the force.

"What is this crazy power?" The rock mage said, staring in shock as Laxus completely broke the gigantic sphere with no sweat.

"That's all you can do?" The lightning mage said as he slowly approached the dark mage. "Your guild is doomed if its strongest mage is that weak."

Jay slowly got up as he looked at Laxus with an impressed look.

"The muscles aren't only for show after all. I guess I'm going to have to use that technique." The rock mage said. Suddenly the ground all around the area became softer as he got in.

"The same trick will not work on me twice Jay!" Laxus said as he jumped in the air to avoid the ground.

"But it's not the same trick Dreyar." Jay said as sand forms emerged from the ground, dragging Laxus inside the quicksand.

"Shit!" Laxus cursed as he was dragged in.

"Resistance is futile. The quicksand will get hardened once you are in Dreyar, causing to die from suffocation. It's over." Jay said as he came out of the ground.

* * *

><p>'Damn it. I can't move at all!' Laxus thought as he tried to get out of the ground. 'I'm running out of air. Damn that bastard.'<p>

The blonde's anger was rising as he tried to move, but to no avail.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" He yelled as he started charging, his eyes turning white while his upper body became more buff.

* * *

><p>"You didn't stand a chance Dreyar. You lacked the intent to kill me." Jay said as he turned to leave, when he felt the ground heating up.<p>

"What the?" The rock mage started as the ground suddenly exploded, dust and lightning flying everywhere as Laxus dashed out of it, crushing Jay to the ground with his hand.

"You made a big mistake dark mage." Laxus said, the rage barely hidden in his voice. "You made me angry." The lightning mage released his grip on the rock mage's head as he got up.

"I'm not like you though. I'll give you a choice. Get up and fight me like man. But if you run away you will regret it for the rest of your life." Laxus said as Jay cowered in fear.

"Screw you guild mage!" Jay shouted as he tried to get inside the ground one more time. Laxus shook his head in disappointment as he looked down.

"Wrong choice." The Fairy Tail mage said as he started charging.

"LIGHTNING ERUPTION!" He yelled as he slammed his hand on the ground, making the ground explode as Jay was thrown out, his eye cores missing which indicated that he was out.

"Scum." Laxus said as he turned to the direction of the dark guild's hideout.

"Next, the hideout."

* * *

><p>Juvia skidded back from the force as Shihor slowly approached her. Her clothes were torn and she had lost her Cossack hat during the fight.<p>

"You move pretty well Phantom mage, despite that injury." The green haired man said as Juvia looked at her injured ribs.

"Juvia was careless before. It won't happen again." The blunette said as she pointed her palm at the dark mage.

"WATER LOCK!" She yelled as Shihor got trapped in a ball made of water. The green haired man looked as if he was drowning for a moment before he gave a dark grin at the water mage.

"You think that this can hold me?" He said as he started absorbing it, shocking Juvia.

"I command the power of nature. Your water magic is nothing compared to me." Shihor said as a trunk came out the ground. This time Juvia managed to dodge it as she created water blades that cut though the vines.

"How about this? ACONITE'S TOUCH!" The green haired man yelled as he threw shuriken shaped leaves at the blunette.

"WATER FORCE!" Juvia yelled as the water from the nearby river changed direction. The leaves were seconds from slashing Juvia when the current from the river got in front of the blunette, stopping the attack.

"Not bad. You realized that this attack was not like any other. When the aconites make contact with someone's blood, they inject a poison that grants almost instant death." Shihor said as he was looking impressed. "Even so…"

Suddenly, vines came out of the ground, tying Juvia once more.

"I told you. There's no escape from my magic. I am the apex predator in this forest Phantom girl." The green haired mage said as he summoned a pile of wooden pikes which levitated around him.

"It's been fun playing with you, but I got other mages to kill too." Shihor said as the pikes were turned towards Juvia.

"Farewell." The dark mage said, his expression one of joy as he launched the poisonous pikes at the blunette.

'Sorry Gajeel-kun, everyone.' Juvia thought as she closed her eyes.

Suddenly the pikes were cut in mid air by wind blades. Shihor looked in surprise as he kicked to the face.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" The dark mage heard as the person responsible backflipped and landed next to the tied form of Juvia. The water mage slowly opened her eyes as she stared at a familiar blond that she didn't expect to see again.

"Made it just in time! Phew!" Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Naruto…-san? What are you doing here?" Juvia said in disbelief as the blond smiled at her.

"Saving the damsel in distress, what else?" Naruto said with a grin as the blunette blushed. At the same time, Shihor got up from the ground as he looked at the two teens.

"A Fairy Tail mage saving a Phantom Lord mage? Last time I checked, your guilds were at the brink of war." The green haired mage said.

"Master Jose might have his differences with our master, but Juvia is a comrade." Naruto said, his expression becoming serious. "I don't leave comrades behind."

'Naruto-san is different than what Master Jose said.' Juvia thought as she stared at her ally. 'He only points flaws in Fairy Tail.'

Naruto looked at Juvia as he summoned a small knife.

"Those vines don't suit you Juvia." The blond said as he moved the knife in a downward arc, cutting the vines in one move.

"Thank you Naruto-san." Juvia said before she grabbed her injured ribs.

"Juvia? What's wrong?" Naruto said as he kneeled next to Juvia and checked her ribs.

"Juvia's ribs are hurt." The blunette said. Shihor laughed as he stretched his hand towards the two mages.

"Fairy Tail's Leaf Hurricane and Phantom Lord's Rain Woman. It will be my pleasure killing you!" The dark mage shouted as he threw tree trunks at Naruto and Juvia. The blond quickly picked up Juvia as he jumped out of the way.

"Is everyone a coward like you?" Naruto said as he landed farther.

"Someone who runs away from the fight does not have the right to judge me Naruto Uzumaki." Shihor said.

Naruto didn't answer, but instead he gently put Juvia on her feet.

"You won't be able to fight with this injury and I doubt this guy will let me heal you. I'll handle him." The blond said but Juvia shook her head.

"Juvia has fought with worse injuries. Juvia will be ok." The blunette said with a smile. Naruto smiled back as he turned at the dark mage.

"Let's do it then." He said as he got in a fighting stance.

"Right." Juvia said.

"Whether you team up or not makes no difference. You are only prey for the predator." Shihor said as he dashed at them.

"Get ready to lose your teeth then predator!" Naruto yelled as he dashed at Shihor with a wind infused fist.

"KAZERYU NO JINKEN!"

"HARD PUNCH!"

The two mages' fists collided in mid air as they started exchanging blows, one pummeling the other non stop. Shihor grinned as he put his hand on the blonde's stomach.

"CHAIN OF TREES!" The green haired mage yelled as a wooden pillar came out of his palm and smacked it to Naruto's chest, sending him straight to a wall. At the same time, Juvia was concentrating, a blue colored aura around her.

'Just a little more.' She thought as she stared at Naruto.

_"How are your magic reserves Juvia?" Naruto asked as he dodged the trunk._

_"Juvia has no problem with her magic." Juvia said though Naruto picked the conflict in her voice._

_"It's your ribs right?" He said as the blunette hesitantly nodded. The blond landed on the ground as he stared at Juvia._

_"I'll distract him then. You concentrate on one strong attack. On my signal, we'll take him out." He said and then gently put her on her feet._

'Naruto-san gave me the chance to defeat Shihor. Juvia won't fail.' Juvia thought as she kept concentrating.

"In the end you are just small flies that I can just stomp on." Shihor said as he held Naruto on the tree with his magic.

"You take yourself way too seriously Shihor." Naruto said with a grin as Shihor's eyes widened.

"What?" He said as the blond grabbed the branch and threw him in the air.

"Juvia now!" Naruto yelled as he dashed towards Shihor.

"WATER DOME!" Juvia yelled as she launched a big dome directly at Naruto.

"What is he doing?" Shihor said while he was still in the air. When the blond got inside the water dome, he started spinning in the way of a tornado.

"KADOU!" He yelled as the combined forces of water and wind magic created a big vortex which ran through the exposed Shihor.

"GHAAA!" Shihor exclaimed as he was thrown away by the force of the attack. Naruto then stopped spinning as he looked down to Juvia and gave her a thumbs up. His grin, however, turned to shock as the blunette fell down due to a small explosion on her back. As he landed, he spun around to see Han standing there with a grin on his face.

"Oopsie, I hit your friend Naruto." The orange haired man said with a sadistic smile. The blond stared in anger as he balled his fists.

"HAN!"

* * *

><p>"How much till the hideout?" Karen asked as the two Blue Pegasus mages were heading towards the hideout of Death's Hand.<p>

"According to Gajeel-san there is a hidden cave somewhere around the point where the ground ascends. Apparently they camouflaged it in the density of the forest." Hibiki said as he still had his fingers on his forehead. Karen turned at him with a look of concern.

"You're going to faint if you keep using your telepathy Hibiki. Naruto and the water girl will be fine." The green haired woman said.

"This is about teamwork Karen. Both Naruto-san and Juvia-san know their partners better than us. Plus, we know nothing about Death's Hand's guildmaster. We need everyone here to be on the safe." The brown haired man said before he stopped running. Karen stopped as well as she turned to him.

"What's wrong?" The celestial spirit mage asked as Hibiki lost his balance for a moment.

'Did that signal come from Naruto? What is going on over there?' The brown haired man thought as he felt a huge wave of magic that made him lose all sense for a moment. He shook his head as Karen grabbed her keys.

"Hibiki." She said as the archive mage noticed someone approaching.

'Is it another dark mage?' Hibiki thought as he got up. The figure kept approaching as the light of the sun revealed his form. He was a tall slim man with slicked black hair, gray eyes, a black tuxedo suit and a black top hat.

"What is a guy like him doing out here?" Karen said in confusion while Hibiki was shocked as he recognized the man.

"That's Sakhar from the Claws of Death! Karen, don't make eye contact with him!" The brown haired man yelled.

"Too late Hibiki Lates." The dark haired man said as his eyes flashed for a moment. In an instant, Karen fell to the ground, her eyes losing their light.

"Karen!" Hibiki yelled as he kneeled next to the frozen form of his partner.

"She is trapped in an illusion. No matter what you do Hibiki Lates you can't help her." Sakhar said as he pointed his hand at the Blue Pegasus mage.

"In fact, you should worry about yourself." He added as a purple orb started forming in his hand.

'There must be something in the archive that negates the effects of illusions.' Hibiki thought as he mentally started scanning the data. Suddenly the orb in Sakhar's hand expanded, covering all three of them.

'I found something.' The brown haired man thought as he turned to his right to realize that he couldn't see anything.

"What is this?" He said as a laughter starting echoing in the blank.

"Your doom!" Sakhar said in a demonic voice as Hibiki felt a slashing pain to his chest.

"The nightmare is approaching! There is no escape!" The dark mage's voice came from every direction as Hibiki was getting slashed all over his body.

'Damn it! This is another illusion. I need to concentrate in order to break it.' The archive mage thought as he tried to ignore the pain and focus on his magic.

"You realize it yourself, don't you? This is a dead end for you!" Sakhar said as he appeared in front of Hibiki while wearing a strange scarecrow mask.

'Focus. Hear, smell, feel. Concentrate.' Hibiki thought as he closed his eyes.

"Concentrate!" He shouted as he slammed his hands together. The Blue Pegasus mage started glowing as Sakhar took a step back.

"But how?" He said in disbelief as the illusion started giving way to reality. Karen opened her eyes as she got up to see a heavily bruised Hibiki panting.

"Hibiki!" She said as the brown haired man fell on his knees while still panting.

"I'm at my limit. The rest is up to you, Karen." He said as the worried expression in Karen's face turned into one of anger.

"You! You are going to pay for your little tricks!" She said as she took out a golden key with the crest of the lion.

"OPEN THE GATE OF THE LION! LEO!" The celestial spirit mage yelled as the key glowed, revealing a young man with long orange hair, and kept in more numerous, large spikes jutting in every direction, with a pair framing his face while another pair of strands, sitting on top of his head, being vaguely reminiscent of animal ears, the rest of his hair mirrors a lion's mane. He also had hazel eyes which were framed by azure tinted sunglasses and his outfit consisted of an elegant dark suit, with the jacket left unbuttoned and the loose pants held up by a light colored belt, over a lighter shirt with a red tie around the neck, plus dark shoes.

"You called Karen?" The spirit of the Leo zodiac sign said with a serious face as Sakhar looked in what seemed like fear.

"The strongest celestial spirit, Leo!" he said as Karen smirked.

"Leo, teach this punk a lesson for messing with Blue Pegasus." The green haired woman said as Leo dashed at the illusionist.

"With pleasure. Regulus! Give me your strength!" The orange haired man shouted as he punched Sakhar in the face, sending him straight to a wall.

'With only one punch. Leo has every right to be called the leader of the zodiac spirits.' Hibiki thought as he was about to fall to the ground when Karen caught him.

"Let's rest now. I'm almost at my limit too." She said with a sweet smile as Hibiki nodded.

"Is there anything else I can help with Karen? You look like you had trouble here." Leo said as he approached the two mages.

"No, you've done enough for now Leo. Go rest." Karen said as Leo nodded and was about to leave when Hibiki stopped him.

"Wait." He said. "Can you search the surrounding area for any of our allies to check up one them?"

"There are others here?" Leo said in surprise as Hibiki nodded.

"It's a joint guild mission. I'll send you their appearance and information about the hideout of the guild so you can tell them." Hibiki said as he slowly put his hand on his forehead. Leo's eyes slightly widened as the bar was completed.

"I will look for them Hibiki. Rest assured." Leo said with a smile as he started running.

"I'm counting on you." Hibiki said.

* * *

><p>"HAN!" Naruto shouted in anger as the orange haired man grinned.<p>

"Naruto Uzumaki, nicknamed Leaf Hurricane. I wanted to fight you ever since I heard about your adventures. Independent mage, doing jobs for free. You made me sick to my stomach!" Han said as he was on the verge of madness, his expression turning from angry to relaxed with each sentence.

Naruto didn't comment, but instead flashed near Juvia to check up on her.

'Good, there is not any major injury or wound. She's just out.' He thought as he ran a medical check. The blond sighed in relief as he put the unconscious blunette in a safer position.

"I'm going to make you suffer, you hear me Uzumaki!?" Han shouted as he now looked completely crazy. Naruto slowly got up as he turned at the dark mage.

"It's the first time in a while that I've seen such a dangerous person on the loose." The blond said, his voice dangerously calm.

"On the other hand, this is also the first time in a while that I am so angry!" He added as the air around the area started becoming more violent.

"And what are you going to do about that Uzumaki? You are just a weakling from a guild." Han said.

"It's simple." Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles. "I'll rip you apart."

Before Han was able to move, Naruto appeared in front of him as he punched the orange haired mage in the jaw, sending him high in the air. Before Han had time to recover, the blond caught up to him and grabbed him from the leg.

"Take this!" He said as he pulled Han up close and started twisting.

"TEKIATSU!" The wind mage yelled as he smashed the dark mage to the ground. He then jumped backwards as he waited for the dust to disperse. As it vanished, Han was coughing blood as he stared at Naruto with a look fool of hate.

"You bastard! That's it! I'll fucking kill you!" The orange haired mage said as he created a sword out of fire and dashed at the blond.

"You hurt one my comrades Han. Don't expect to get away with it." Naruto said as he summoned a red shortsword and ran at his enemy. As the two magic swords clashed, Han's fire sword exploded, leaving Naruto wide open.

"First I'll kill you, then your little friend over there." Han said with a crazy grin as he stabbed Naruto in the abdomen, the sword coming out of his back. The blond spitted blood but shook it off as he grabbed the fire mage, surprising him.

"What- what are you doing?" Han said in terror as Naruto started gathering wind magic in his mouth, his eyes glowing.

"KAZERYU NO GEKIDOU BAKUFUU!" Naruto yelled as he shot a more powerful wind blast than before from point blank, blowing Han away. As the smoke was cleared, Naruto stared at the heavily bruised form of the dark mage with a terrifying expression.

"You are a true monster." Han slowly said as he fell down. Naruto looked at him before he clenched his injured stomach.

"Damn it, a little higher and it would be fatal." The blond said as he started healing the wound. He then turned to his right as he sensed a person approaching.

"Who's there?" He said as he summoned a sword and pointed it at the direction of the person.

"Ow there, relax. I'm not an enemy." Leo said as he put his hands up in defense. Naruto looked at him with a calculating look before he lowered the sword.

"You are one of Karen's summons right?" The blond as Leo looked at him in mild surprise.

"How could you tell?" He asked as Naruto chuckled.

"It's the magic you emit. It's like it's from another realm." The blond answered, making the orange haired spirit nod.

"Yeah, I'm Leo, the spirit of the lion sign. Karen and Hibiki sent me to look for you and Juvia-san." Leo said with a relieved look. Naruto cancelled his magic as summoned a pair of bandages.

"Where are they?" He said as he started wrapping the place where he got wounded as he approached Juvia.

"They are safe. They have defeated one of the Claws of Death." Leo said as he looked at charred forms of Han and Shihor. "And it looks like you had your fights too."

"You could say that." Naruto said as he kneeled next to Juvia and activated his healing magic on her.

"I also have a message for you." Leo said as Naruto winced.

"I'm listening."

"They found Death's Hand's hideout. The rest of the team defeated the remaining members of the Claws of Death and is heading there as we speak." Leo said just as Juvia started regaining her consciousness.

"Naruto…-san. What happened?" She said as Naruto looked at her with smile.

"Everything's fine. You are safe now Juvia." The blond said as Juvia sat up.

"I have to leave now. Karen is using her magic to keep me here and she is tired from her fight." Leo said as he pointed towards the north.

"If you go this way you will find yourselves in the mountains. The hideout is hidden in the densest part of the woods there. Good luck." He added.

"Wait a minute Leo." Naruto said, stopping the spirit from leaving. "Can you escort Juvia to where Hibiki and Karen are?"

"Wait! Juvia can still fight." Juvia said as she tried to get up but winced as she held the place where Han blew her earlier.

"You have used most of your magic, haven't you?" Naruto asked gently as the blunette nodded. The blond placed a hand on the younger girl's head as he smiled, making her blush a little.

"Don't worry, I won't be alone." He added as he nodded at Leo.

"Got it. Follow me Juvia-san." Leo said as Juvia hesitantly followed him, leaving Naruto alone.

"Only the guildmaster is left. I better get going." The blond said as he jumped towards the direction that Leo told him.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Here comes another action packed chapter of the Tale of the Leaf Hurricane. Man, I was so busy these past days that it took me three days to write it. I hope it makes some sense because I finished it while recovering from a hangover.  
>Ahem, I must say that I'm happy for my story. As I said in the previous chapter, this story is a year old and people still read it. Now that is a good motive for me to keep writing it.<br>As always, I would like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing the story as well as putting it on their alerts and favourites.  
>Next chapter will include the fight with the guildmaster of Death's Hand. I'm not sure how I'll go with this since I still haven't decided how many guys will fight him.<br>Until later everyone. Marvey out.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback  
>"Telepathy"<em>

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 18

"So, that's the place?" Gajeel said as he and the purple haired woman entered a big tunnel.

"Why else would I bring you here?" She said in an annoyed tone.

"Whatever you say woman. I'm not that gullible as to trust a dark mage so easily, so pray that you brought me in the right place." The dragon slayer threatened as the woman looked at him with a scowl.

"For the last time, the name is Viper. V-I-P-E-R!" The purple haired woman said as Gajeel pushed her inside.

"Whoever asked your name anyway? You think I care?" The raven haired teen said as they walked down the path.

"I helped you, didn't I? I showed you the hideout, so you are going to help me with the council."

The moment Viper was done talking Gajeel shoved her to the walls of the tunnel while pointing his iron club at her.

"The only reason you are still in one piece is because you told me where your hideout is. Don't push your luck woman." The dragon slayer said as Viper's expression turned from annoyed to slightly scared.

"And I still don't know if that's the actual place so let's get moving." He added as he released his grip on the poison mage.

"You are one sadistic person Gajeel Redfox, you know that? Your guild is no better than a dark guild." Viper said as the two mages kept walking.

"There's one difference between us and you though." Gajeel said in a much calmer tone. "We don't kill people for money."

Viper's eyes widened as she looked down when the path came at a dead end.

"End of the road? Are you kidding me woman?" Gajeel said in anger as he turned to the purple haired woman who took a knife out of her pocket.

"AGARIKUCHI!" She said as she cut her palm and slammed it on the wall, making some signs appear out of nowhere. The signs glowed as the wall disappeared, revealing a wide chamber with gothic style candles adorning the walls. There was also a black carpet which started from the entrance and when all the way to the shadowy other side in a straight line where a throne was visible. Gajeel narrowed his eyes as he distinguished a figure sitting on the throne.

"Show yourself!" He yelled at the figure as Viper started trembling.

"It's him." She whispered in fear as Gajeel turned at her, confusion on his face since he caught what she said due to his enhanced hearing.

"Who?" He said as the figure started approaching them in a slow pace.

"Master… Erathor." She said as the figure got within their vision, revealing a tall old man with long white hair which he kept in a ponytail and a goatee. He was wearing a dark blue shirt, with an indigo cape over his chest, brown pants tucked in leather boots and leather gloves.

"So you're the big guy huh?" Gajeel said with a grin as the old man looked at the trembling Viper with a deadly glare.

"Viper. You disappointed me." He said in a deep voice as he pointed his index finger at the purple haired girl, knocking her out with a single blast. Gajeel looked in shock as Viper fell back, her chest smoking due to the bullet magic.

"You bastard! That was your comrade!" He angrily yelled as Erathor stared at him with passive expression.

"She was no longer useful to me. No one is going to miss her." The guildmaster said as he summoned dark magic in his hand.

"You are next, Black Steel Gajeel." He said as the dragon slayer got into a fighting stance.

* * *

><p>Naruto jumped from tree to tree as he looked at the sky.<p>

"The sun is setting already. It will be harder to find the entrance in the darkness." The blond said as he picked up the pace.

'I wonder how everyone back at the guild is doing right now.'

* * *

><p>"I'm bored." Gray said as he lazily hung from his chair while staring at the ceiling of the guild.<p>

"Didn't you fight with Natsu moments ago?" Max asked with an incredulous look.

"Yeah, but flame brain here slept on the table so now I have nothing to do." The ice mage said with the same bored expression.

"Aye." Happy said as ate a fish next to the sleeping dragon slayer.

"Your clothes Gray." Cana said while she was drinking, making Max and Warren look in shock.

"How do you do that? You were wearing them just now!" The telepathy mage said as Gray jumped from his chair to get dressed.

"It's habit ok? It's not like I do it on purpose." The dark haired teen said in embarrassment as Max shook his head.

"Even so." The sand mage said as he looked around. "There are only a few of us here."

"No kidding. Mirajane took Elfman and Lisanna on a mission, Naruto and Laxus are on that joint mission and Gildarts left for the hundred year mission." Warren said as the two friends turned to the request board.

"Even Nab actually went on a mission. Or more precisely, Laki forced him to." Max said as he sweatdropped.

"Ha! Take that popsicle!" Natsu screamed in his sleep as his turned around, which resulted in him falling face first on the floor while flipping the table at the same time.

"Ow!" Happy exclaimed as he fell down along with the table.

"My fish!" The blue cat said dramatically as his half eaten fish flew across the hall, ending on Erza's cheesecake.

"The last piece of my favourite cake." The redhead said before she got up with a furious look, her eyes shining a dangerous red as she approached the rose haired teen who just got up.

"Huh? What happened?" Natsu said with dreamy expression as Erza punched him out of the guild.

"What the hell?" The dragon slayer's voice echoed as Makarov looked at the hall from the second floor with a serious expression.

'What is this uneasiness in my heart?' The guildmaster thought as stood there.

* * *

><p>"Bring it old man!" Gajeel said as he got into a fighting stance.<p>

"Gajeel Redfox, Phantom Lord's Iron dragon slayer." Erathor said as he motioned the teen to attack him.

"Come, show me your destructive power." The guildmaster said as Gajeel ran at him.

"Don't screw with me!" The dragon slayer said as he unleashed a barrage of kicks which the dark mage effortlessly dodged.

"It will take more than that to get me boy!" Erathor mocked Gajeel as he kept dodging.

"How about this? TETSURYUKON!" The iron dragon slayer yelled as he turned his hand into a club and extended it in order to strike the older mage.

"Close enough." Erathor said as he dodged one more time.

"You piss me off old man! TETSURYUKEN!" Gajeel yelled as his hand took the shape of a jagged iron blade. However, as he tried to cut Erathor, the dark mage simply caught the teen's iron hand, surprising him.

"Is this really what a dragon's power looks like?" He said with a frown as he pushed Gajeel back. The raven haired mage growled as he skidded a few meters from the force of the push.

"You! I'm going to make you pay for what you just said! TETSURYUSO: KISHIN!" He yelled as he extended his arm towards the guildmaster, with the fingers outstretched, and formed a magic seal in front of him, from which iron spears were fired at a fast pace.

Erathor sat there with a disappointed look as he stared at the incoming attack.

"Worthless." The dark mage said as he stopped the attack with a wave of his hand, surprising Gajeel.

"But how? Even if the attack wouldn't damage him, it should at least leave a scratch." The dragon slayer said as Erathor looked disappointed.

"I thought you would at least pose a challenge dragon mage, but I guess your young age justifies your inability to be truly destructive. DARK BULLETS!" The dark mage yelled as he started shooting big bullet shaped orbs at the dragon slayer.

"Damn it! TETSURYU NO UROKO!" Gajeel yelled as his body was covered by hard iron scales. The dragon slayer braced himself for the impact as Erathor unleashed a barrage of bullets at him while laughing.

"What's the matter dragon mage? No comebacks this time?" The guildmaster said as he stopped shooting, waiting for the dust to dissolve. When it dispersed, it revealed a battered Gajeel still standing in a defensive pose.

"So you actually survived that. You are sturdy kid, I'll give you that. How about I make a proposition to you boy? Become my right hand and together we will teach those pathetic guilds a lesson." Erathor said as Gajeel spat on the ground.

"So that I end up like her?" The dragon slayer said as he pointed at the knocked out Viper.

"She was weak. You, however, are strong. What do you say?" The dark mage said as Gajeel started laughing.

"You want an answer? Here's your answer then!" The raven haired teen yelled as he threw an iron breath attack which engulfed Erathor in iron blades. Gajeel stood there watching as the smoke covered Erathor.

"Hah hah hah, take that you bastard." The dragon slayer said as he panted, his iron scales disappearing. His eyes widened as he was blown away.

"You fucking brat!" Erathor angrily said as he emerged from the smoke with a cut near his right eye.

"I gave you a chance to do great things." The dark mage said as he kept shooting Gajeel who was yelling in pain. "And you attacked me in return?"

Gajeel tried to stand as Erathor prepared a dark sphere.

"Go to hell dragon mage! DARK ATTACK!" The old master yelled as he fired the sphere at Gajeel who fell on his knees as he stared at the attack.

Suddenly the air in the chamber became more violent as someone ran past the dragon slayer with a big blue orb in hand and crashed it at the dark sphere, generating a massive amount of energy as Erathor looked surprised.

The two attacks dissolved as the person responsible for it was visible to the two combatants.

"You!" Gajeel said in shock as he recognized the blond standing in front of him.

"It's just not Phantom's day is it?" Naruto said as he looked back at the dragon slayer.

* * *

><p>"Where do they find all these guys?" Laxus said as he knocked out another dark mage on his way to the hideout of Death's Hand. The lightning mage had been walking for some time after his fight with Jay while taking out different dark mages who kept attacking him.<p>

"This is getting bothersome. At that rate I will find the hideout by sunrise." The blond said as he noticed a large group approaching.

"What now?"He said as he was about to raise his fists when I familiar voice interrupted.

"Wait Laxus-san, they are not dark mages." Hibiki said as he came out of the crowd. The blond mage raised an eyebrow as he looked better at the crowd. They were clad in a garish uniform, highly reminiscent of those worn by priests; they donned a long, high-collared, sleeveless dark robe over a light shirt with wide sleeves ending below the elbows, where they were circled by thin bands; the robe was covered on the front by a light cloth, bearing the dark, ankh-like symbol of the Council, held still by a light belt circling the waist. Around the soldiers' neck was a long, light cape bearing the Council's insignia on the back, held closed below the neck by a rhomboidal clasp adorned by a gem, and on their head sits a light headgear, with a decorated lower part, reminiscent of a mitre, but with three tops, a central one and two more at its sides. They also wore simple boots with the front parts covered in vertical stripes.

"The rune knights? What are they doing here?" Laxus said in confusion as the knights stopped walking, the man in the lead being the only one who kept walking towards Laxus and Hibiki.

"Ah, Laxus-san. Just the person I was looking for." Siegrain said as he greeted the lightning mage with a smile.

"Siegrain! Is this about Death's Hand?" Laxus said as the blue haired council member smiled.

"Sharp as always Laxus-san. And since you know why we are here, that will make our job easier." Siegrain said as he pointed at one of the mages that Laxus took out earlier.

"We need you to help us in capturing those men. The mission's objective is to arrest, not kill." The blue haired teen added.

"This mission is still not over Siegrain. The guildmaster is still up." Laxus said, clearly itching to fight the guildmaster.

"Naruto-san and Gajeel-san are already at the hideout as we speak. Siegrain-san believes that they will be enough." Hibiki said as Laxus turned to the brown haired man.

"Uzumaki and the iron head? Do you really believe that they are enough?" The blond haired man said, but before Siegrain could talk, Hibiki pulled Laxus away.

"He is obviously trying to see if Fairy Tail is willing to cooperate on a simple search mission instead of destroying things. Play along for the sake of Fairy Tail. And don't worry about Naruto-san and Gajeel-san. I believe they can handle Master Erathor if they team up." The archive mage whispered to Laxus as he released his grip on the taller man's shirt.

"That's what you should worry about Hibiki. But I guess I have no choice." Laxus said as he turned to Siegrain.

"Well?" The blue haired teen said.

"I'll help with the arrests. Is that good enough for you?" Laxus said as Siegrain chuckled.

"Yes, that works just fine." The council member said.

'I can't do anything about Phantom's dragon slayer since he is already there. But Naruto-kun will need this challenge if he is to become a potential sacrifice for the tower.' Siegrain thought as the group resumed their mission.

* * *

><p>"Uzumaki! What are you doing here?" Gajeel said as he stared at the blond in surprise.<p>

"I was passing by. But dude, you really got your ass kicked here." Naruto said as he looked at the dragon slayer's state.

"Shut up blondie. You don't look much better either. What's with the bandages?" The raven haired teen said as he pointed at the blonde's bandaged waist.

"I ran into some trouble. Here." Naruto said as he threw a metallic pole at the dragon slayer who grabbed it in the air.

"How do you know? Oh wait, don't answer that." Gajeel said as he ate the pole.

"Now that I've eaten, I'm all revved up, gihi." He added as he got up, his magic restored by the pole.

"You remind me a lot of Natsu Redfox." Naruto said with a smirk as Gajeel appeared directly in front of the blond.

"Take that back Uzumaki!" The raven haired teen said.

"It's the truth Redfox." The wind mage said as he mentally laughed at the dragon slayer's antics.

"You wanna go at it right now?" Gajeel said as he smacked his head on the blonde's head.

"Such ignorance. If you kids are here to play, then allow me to join your little game!" Erathor shouted as he threw rays of darkness at the two teens who jumped back to dodge the attack.

"I almost forgot about this guy. Be careful Uzumaki, he's tougher than he looks." Gajeel said as they landed on the ground.

"Master Erathor. This is the leader. Observe Redfox for any pattern that he may use." Naruto said as he dashed at the guildmaster in high speeds.

"Don't order me around you bastard!" Gajeel yelled as Naruto unleashed a barrage of swift strikes at the dark mage who blocked this time.

"You move better than the iron brat. However-" Erathor said as he went on the offensive with hard strikes. "you are still leagues away from my level."

Naruto dodged as Erathor attempted to pummel the blond.

'He moves faster than expected. Hi hits look like they have a lot of punch in them but his fighting style is sloppy. He may have large amounts of magic but he doesn't seem proficient in close combat.' Naruto thought as he kept dodging.

"So you can go even faster. But is that where your skills stop Fairy Tail's Leaf Hurricane? DARK EXPLOSION!" Erathor yelled as he exploded, generating dense amounts of darkness which Naruto barely dodged. However, that left the blond open for a direct punch to the chest by the dark mage which sent him a couple of meters away.

"He's not only agile, but his magic is something else as well." Gajeel said as he jumped to where Naruto fell.

"He doesn't have a specific fighting style for close combat. If we attack him from directions some of our hits are bound to connect." Naruto said as he spat blood. He then got up and took a fighting stance.

"I hate to admit it, but you have a point. After all-" Gajeel said as he got into his own stance. "This is what I thought as well."

"Let's roll!" Naruto shouted as he dashed one more time, now followed by Gajeel.

"Come, guild mages!" Erathor said as the two teens reached him and started their assault, Naruto using his fists while Gajeel used his legs. The dark mage blocked each strike as the two mages kept hitting.

"Is this-" Erathor said as he punched Gajeel. "all you guilds are capable of?" He finished as he punched Naruto as well. His eyes widened however as both mages were already gathering magic in their mouths.

"KAZERYU NO…"

"TETSURYU NO…"

"What?"

"GEKIDOU BAKUFUU!"

"HOKO!"

The two breath attacks struck Erathor from point blank, their combined force sending him to the roof of the chamber as he screamed from the pain.

Naruto and Gajeel spun in the air as they looked at the descending form of the guildmaster.

"And that's not all!" The blond yelled as he jumped towards Erathor.

"TEKIATSU!" He yelled as he grabbed the dark mage and started twisting, creating a cyclone which he then channeled to the ground, smacking Erathor head first to the floor.

"Now, Redfox!" The wind mage yelled as he jumped back.

"That's for before old man. TETSURYUSO: KISHIN!" Gajeel yelled as he threw iron spears from his hand which struck Erathor, creating smoke and debris in the process.

"Is it over?" Naruto said as the two mages waited for the smoke to clear. His eyes widened as he felt the air getting heavier.

"Guild mages, you have proven your strength." Erathor said in a deeper voice than before as he emerged from the smoke with cuts and bruises while his outfit was torn. That didn't seem to affect him as he stared at the younger mages, his eyes being hollow.

"What is this new devil?" Gajeel said as Naruto closed his eyes.

'His magic is completely different from before. It feels… alien.' The blond thought.

Suddenly, a black cloud surrounded Erathor as the chamber became darker due to the candles being put off.

"Is that poison?" Gajeel said as he started coughing while Naruto opened his eyes. Skeletons with swords and axes in hand were coming out of the ground as Erathor extended his hand at the two mages.

"You'll experience true terror." He said as more and more skeleton appeared.

* * *

><p>"Is the air suddenly colder or that's only Juvia?" Juvia said as she was walking in the forest with Karen and some rune knights.<p>

"What are you on now?" The green haired woman said before she trembled too. "Wait, I feel it too."

"What's going on?" One of the knights said as the air was getting thicker and colder.

* * *

><p>Laxus' eyes widened as he was carrying a dark mage.<p>

"What is it Laxus-san?" Hibiki said before he stopped as he felt the sudden change in the temperature.

'These are the effects of advanced dark magic.' The blond mage thought as he dashed in lightning speeds towards the hideout of Death's Hand.

"Wait Laxus-san, I'm coming too!" Hibiki said as he ran after his partner.

'Damn it! And I was keeping them busy. What's this Erathor doing?' Siegrain thought when he saw the two guild mages ran to the hideout.

"Hey Bob, do you have any idea what's going on?" A rune knight asked another knight.

"I don't have a clue Steve. I'm telling you, these mages are crazy." The other knight answered as they went back to their business.

* * *

><p>Naruto fell on his right knee as he started panting.<p>

'What's this? There's something in the air.' The blond thought as he struggled to stay conscious.

'This poison is stronger than anything else I have encountered.' Gajeel thought as he kept coughing.

"You brats have potential, but right now you are a hundred years too early to challenge me. Disappear into the darkness!" Erathor said as he formed a seal.

"SEIKATSU MAHOU! GAIKOTSU BUBEN!" The dark mage yelled as he was enveloped by a black aura. The skeletons' eyes flashed as they started approaching the two mages.

'Damn it!' Naruto thought as he lifted his head to see the skeletons approaching.

'This can't be the end! I made a promise that I will go on mission with Mira when I return. And I promised that I will be there for Cana when she talks to Gildarts.' The blond screamed in his head images of his comrades flashed before his eyes.

_"Thank you for listening Naruto. I already feel better now that I said it to someone."_

_"If there's anything that bothers you, I'll be there to help you with it."_

_"When we return from our respective missions, why don't we go on that mission that you said two weeks ago?"_

Gajeel blinked as he felt the weight of darkness slowly fading away.

'How?' He thought as he looked at Naruto.

'Uzumaki?'

"I refuse to let it end that way! Erathor!" The blond shouted as he got up and started charging.

"What are you going to do child? You are alone against the darkness." Erathor said as the skeletons started running.

"I'm not alone." Naruto said. "My friends are always with me. They give me the strength to keep fighting."

Gajeel's eyes widened as the blonde's magic was literally pushing back the darkness.

'Friends huh?'

"An interesting point of view. But ideals alone cannot help you in this world. It's been fun." Erathor said as he unleashed the skeleton army.

"Redfox!" Naruto yelled as Gajeel got up.

"No need to yell twice you moron. Let's take down these bastards, gihi." The dragon slayer said as he ran at them.

"TETSURYUKEN!" He yelled as his hand turned into an iron sword, which he used to decapitate skeletons.

"Here I come! REQUIP!" Naruto yelled as he summoned a pair of blades with a gold dragon shaped hilt as he started cutting down skeletons.

Erathor couldn't believe in what he saw as the two mages took out one skeleton after another while slowly coming closer.

"You brats, you only have yourselves to blame for your doom." He said as he extended both hands and started gathering the black aura around him.

"DEATH BALL!" he yelled as he threw a massive sphere at Naruto and Gajeel. The blond turned to see the giant ball approaching and started running towards it while gathering wind magic in his swords.

"Oi Uzumaki, what the hell are you doing?" Gajeel yelled at the blond while he took out another skeleton.

"HITOSHIREZU KENJUTSU: KAZERYU NO RENDAN!" The wind mage yelled as he held the swords in an X formation behind his back. Once he reached the sphere, the wind mage brought the swords forward with a wide arc as he unleashed a ten-strike barrage.

"Incredible." Gajeel whispered as Naruto destroyed the sphere with his sword attack. Suddenly, whatever was left of the skeletons started crumbling as Erathor clenched his head.

"The living magic has been cancelled. That's it! Redfox!" Naruto said as Gajeel passed near him.

"Got it! TETSURYU NO GO KEN!" The dragon slayer yelled as he covered his fist in iron scales and punched the disoriented guildmaster high in the air. At the same time Naruto jumped towards Erathor, his swords sheathed, as he prepared a giant blue orb in hand.

"EAT THIS! OODAMA RASENGAN!" The blond yelled as he slammed the giant Rasengan in the dark mage's gut, sending him to the ground as a massive explosion occurred from the impact.

Naruto then backflipped and landed to the ground as the chamber started shaking.

"Now what in the devil is happening?" Gajeel said as Naruto noticed cracks forming to the roof.

"The cave is about to collapse!" The blond yelled as the two mages started running outside. Naruto abruptly stopped when he noticed the downed form of Viper.

"What are you doing Uzumaki? We have to get out of here!" Gajeel yelled as Naruto ran towards the unconscious Viper and threw her over his shoulder.

"GO, GO!" The wind mage yelled as they ran away while boulders were falling on their heels.

"There! The exit!" Gajeel pointed as they picked up the pace and managed to get out of the cave the moment it collapsed. The two teens fell on their faces, sweat dripping from their body.

"Phew! That was close." Naruto said as he put Viper to the ground.

"This happened because you went overboard again." Gajeel said as he got up and dusted himself.

"Oh shut up Redfox. It's not like you didn't go overboard in there." Naruto said as he got up too and looked in the distance.

"Someone's coming." He added as he narrowed his eyes. The blond easily distinguished the big figure of his partner Laxus as well as three other familiar people.

"Gajeel-kun! Naruto-kun!" Juvia shouted as the four guild mages approached their partners.

"Are you guys ok?" Hibiki asked.

"Somehow. I can't say the same for their hideout." Naruto said. "What happened to you guys?"

"The council happened." Laxus said with a scowl. Before Naruto and Gajeel could ask what he means by that, the rune knights arrived at the scene.

"Naruto-kun, we meet again." Siegrain said as he approached the mages.

"Siegrain." Naruto said with a hostile tone as the two men stared at each other.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** Wow, talk about overcoming myself. This must be my biggest battle so far. Like, two big parts and stuff. Anyway, I was conflicted about adding Laxus to the fray, but then I decided against it because: A) It would be an overkill if three mages fought with the guildmaster. B) Laxus would have to show his Dragon Slayer magic which would a spoiler for Gajeel. C) Jellal came along. So there you have it.  
>And for the record, Naruto came first in the poll and Laxus was second. Gajeel tied with Juvia and Hibiki tied in last place with Karen.<br>Next chapter will include the last part of the Fight against Death's Hand Arc and a special surprise. Be sure to tune in. Though I don't know when it will be released because I will be busy these days with job hunting and stuff.  
>Until later then. Marvey out.<strong>


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:  
>Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Weekly Shounen Jump and TV Tokyo<br>Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and Kodansha Comics**

"Talking"  
>'Thinking'<br>_Flashback  
>"Telepathy"<em>

The Tale of the Leaf Hurricane Chapter 19

"Now what in the devil is happening?" Gajeel said as Naruto noticed cracks forming to the roof.

"The cave is about to collapse!" The blond yelled as the two mages started running outside. Naruto abruptly stopped when he noticed the downed form of Viper.

"What are you doing Uzumaki? We have to get out of here!" Gajeel yelled as Naruto ran towards the unconscious Viper and threw her over his shoulder.

"GO, GO!" The wind mage yelled as they ran away while boulders were falling on their heels.

"There! The exit!" Gajeel pointed as they picked up the pace and managed to get out of the cave just as it collapsed. The two teens fell on their faces, sweat dripping from their body.

"Phew! That was close." Naruto said as he put Viper to the ground.

"This happened because you went overboard again." Gajeel said as he got up and dusted himself.

"Oh shut up Redfox. It's not like you didn't go overboard in there." Naruto said as he got up too and looked in the distance. He immediately glowed, revealing new pants and a mask.

"Someone's coming." He added as he narrowed his eyes. The blond easily distinguished the big figure of his partner Laxus as well as three other familiar people.

"Gajeel-kun! Naruto-kun!" Juvia shouted as the four guild mages approached their partners.

"Are you guys ok?" Hibiki asked.

"Somehow. I can't say the same for their hideout." Naruto said. "What happened to you guys?"

"The council happened." Laxus said with a scowl. Before Naruto and Gajeel could ask what he means by that, the rune knights arrived at the scene.

"Naruto-kun, we meet again." Siegrain said as he approached the mages.

"Siegrain." Naruto said with a hostile tone as the two men stared at each other.

"Now now, what's with the cold look Naruto-kun? I thought we were friends." The blue haired mage said with a smile on his face.

"The council doesn't trust us so they send someone to check if we did the job?" Gajeel said in an angry tone, breaking the eye contact between the two mages.

"The council trusts your guilds Gajeel-kun, we wouldn't give you the mission if we didn't." Siegrain said as he turned to the dragon slayer. "We are here to capture the dark mages of Death's Hand."

"I don't see Master Erathor anywhere though. What happened?" He added as he looked around.

"He's probably… dead." Naruto said as he motioned to the rumbles of the cave.

"Too bad, we wanted to question him about his recent activities." Siegrain said as he looked at the unconscious form of Viper.

"You two." He said to a couple of rune knights. "Arrest the poison mage."

When the two knights approached Viper however, Naruto got in front of them as he was glaring at them.

"I object with that. That woman helped us in finding the hideout of Death's Hand. We would probably still search for it if not for her." He said as the rune knights took out their swords.

"Get out of the way Fairy Tail." One of them said as Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Make me." The blond said.

"_What are you doing Naruto-san?_" Hibiki asked the wind mage through telepathy.

"_It's a feeling I have Hibiki. Trust me._" Naruto answered before he turned his attention back to Siegrain.

"You arrogant bastard!" A rune knight said as he attacked Naruto while he wasn't watching. The blond dodged the knight's sword and hit him on the neck, rendering the knight unconscious.

"You'll pay for this!" Another rune knight said as more of them attacked the blond.

"Naruto-kun!" Juvia said as Naruto looked at his team.

"Stay out of this!" The blond said as he effortlessly dodged the knights' attacks like they were nothing.

"Is that all?" He added before he went on the offensive, knocking out each knight with one move.

'I didn't know he was so adept in close combat. Not to mention that he is injured yet he still moves like that.' Laxus thought as he stared at his partner.

"Enough!" Siegrain said as Naruto took out another rune knight with a chop to the back of his head.

"Your men need to be retrained Siegrain." The blond said as he turned his attention back to the blue haired mage.

"You have obstructed the council's mission and assaulted rune knights. Naruto-kun, do you know how many violations did you cause?" The council member said with a serious look.

"Actually, the rune knights attacked Uzumaki first. You can't charge him for self-defense." Laxus said as he stepped up.

"Laxus." Naruto said in surprise as he looked at the taller blond.

Siegrain gritted his teeth before he turned to Naruto with a calmer expression.

"Very well then. But beware Naruto-kun; this only happens because I am here and not someone else. I'm willing not to arrest Viper on two conditions: the first one is that she will be under your supervision. She gets caught doing something illegal; you and most importantly Fairy Tail will be held responsible for that."

Naruto looked at Laxus who gave a "Whatever." Look before he nodded.

"And the second?" The blond asked.

"You will take her with you, right now. I don't care if you bring her to Fairy Tail or let her somewhere else. Is that clear?" The blue haired mage answered.

"Deal." Naruto said as Siegrain smiled.

"Good. Men, gather the injured and the criminals. We are returning to headquarters." The council member said as the rune knights moved.

"YES SIR!" They yelled as they formed the unit again and departed. Naruto looked at them before he fell to the ground due to a punch by Gajeel.

"What was that for Redfox?" The blond said as he instantly got up and glared at the dragon slayer.

"You almost jeopardized the mission you idiot." Gajeel yelled at the wind mage.

"Gajeel-san is right. That was pretty risky Naruto-san." Hibiki said as Karen approached Naruto.

"And you went through all this trouble to save that girl Naruto-kun? Your mysterious actions only make me want to solve your riddle more." The green haired woman said with a seductive tone.

"There she goes again." Gajeel said with a deadpan look.

"No kidding." Laxus added with the same expression.

"I just don't like the council, that's all. There is not anything complicated behind what I did." Naruto said, oblivious to Karen's flirting.

"Still, the council won't like what you did Naruto-san. I'm surprised Siegrain-san even let that woman under your supervision." Hibiki said.

'He is a strange guy, that's something I can say for sure.' The blond thought.

"Whatever, I'm leaving." Laxus said as he started walking towards the east.

"Don't be too late Uzumaki." He said as he stopped for a moment. "I got better things to do than tell jiji the reason you didn't come with me."

"Hm, you don't need to tell me that sparky. Don't forget that I have transportation." Naruto yelled at the taller blond who was already far.

"Well then, I will be going too. Got a big trip to do." The blond said as he picked up the still unconscious Viper.

"It's been fun teaming up with you Naruto-san. Let's meet again." Hibiki said with a smile as he nodded at the blond.

"Don't expect me to say goodbye or something Uzumaki. Next time we meet, we are going to continue our fight." Gajeel said with a grin.

"Gajeel-kun is too shy to admit that he considers you a friend." Juvia said with a smile.

"Shut up rain woman!" Gajeel said, although it was obvious to everyone that he didn't say it in a mean way. Naruto chuckled as he nodded at the Phantom Lord mages.

"There are good mages in Phantom Lord. I'm glad to know that now." He said as he was about to leave when he saw Karen in front of him.

"No goodbye for me?" She said with a pout.

"Take care Karen." Naruto said as he hugged the green haired woman with his free hand before he went towards his magic vehicle.

* * *

><p>Naruto gently put the unconscious Viper on the back of his vehicle as he looked at her.<p>

'She's been out for quite some time. You would expect that all the fuss would at least wake her up or something.' The blond thought as he then noticed something on her back.

'Wait. What's that?' He thought as he put his palms on the purple haired woman's back and closed his eyes. His hands glowed as the blond ran a medical scan.

'There are leftovers of Erathor's dark magic. As I thought, he was the one who knocked her out. That explains why is she still out, and she looks to be in pain.' Naruto thought as the glow in his hands intensified, signifying the act of a healing spell.

Viper slowly half opened her eyes as she noticed a blurry figure next to her.

'Who… is… that?' She thought before she lost consciousness again. Naruto stopped the spell as he observed the woman under his care.

'She looks better now, like she is sleeping.' The blond thought before he started looking around.

"I'm pretty sure I have a blanket here somewhere." He said as he started searching around the stuff that he stored in the car before he took out something.

"Bingo!" He exclaimed as he pulled out an orange blanket. The blond then proceeded in covering the sleeping woman before he went to the driver's seat.

"This will be a long trip." Naruto said as he strapped the SE-plug on his wrist and started the car.

* * *

><p>No longer had Naruto started driving that Viper started to stir.<p>

'So warm.' She thought as she hugged the blanket before her eyes opened. The purple haired woman shot up from her sleeping position as she looked around.

"Where am I and who are you?" She said as she lunged at Naruto.

"Wow there!" The blond exclaimed as he abruptly stopped the car. He then turned as Viper came right at him, causing both to get out of the car. The two mages rolled for some time before they stopped with Viper on top of Naruto.

"Where are you taking me?" The purple haired woman said.

"Are you crazy? We could have crashed there!" Naruto said as he span around and got on top.

"You didn't answer my question." Viper said before she noticed the features of the blond.

Naruto got up from her as he started dusting himself.

"Did you calm now? Geez, what was that for anyway?" The blond said.

"You are the one who healed me before." Viper said.

"Yeah, I did that." Naruto said.

"Why would you do that? I am from a dark guild?" The purple haired woman said, surprise on her face.

"Not anymore. Death's Hand has been disbanded." Naruto said as he got up and offered his hand.

"Let's start over, shall we? I'm Naruto Uzumaki." The blond said as Viper looked at his hand with a suspicious expression before she accepted it.

"Viper. What do you mean Death's Hand has been disbanded? And where is Gajeel?" The purple haired woman said as Naruto helped her get up.

"I'll explain everything to you." Naruto said. "But first, let's eat. I'm really hungry since I haven't eaten all day and I'm pretty sure you are hungry too."

Before Viper could talk, a growling sound was heard from her stomach as she blushed. Naruto chuckled as he went towards the magic vehicle.

"Let's start a fire. I'm going to answer any questions that you have over food."

* * *

><p>"So now you are responsible for me?" Viper said as Naruto finished explaining the situation.<p>

"Yup." Naruto said as he was munching food. "It was one of the conditions." The purple haired woman scoffed when she heard that.

"And you expect me to accept that?" She said as she narrowed her eyes at the blond. She was surprised, however, when the blond started laughing.

"What's so funny?" She said.

"I expect the opposite, but you are free to explain that to the council." He said once he stopped laughing.

Viper pouted as she lay on the ground.

"Why did you do this? Guild or not, I am still a dark mage. Why would you risk your guild's credibility though you know that the council doesn't trust you either way?" She said as she turned to the blond.

Naruto didn't answer right away but instead turned at the fire.

"It's… a perk of mine I guess. You helped us in our mission. You may have done it because you were in a tough position, but the council didn't appreciate it nonetheless, so I took action in my own hands. Besides-" The blond said as he turned to face Viper. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Viper looked in utter shock when Naruto was done talking. His words, as well as the genuine smile that he gave her when he looked at her made the former dark mage blush. When she realized that, she quickly turned around and grabbed a bottle as an excuse.

"You are going to get in trouble with that attitude of yours one day." She said as she started drinking water, though it was obvious that there was no ill intent in her words.

"Who knows?" Naruto said as he looked at the sky while drinking from his flask.

"Let's call it a night. We have a long way to go tomorrow." The blond said as he stretched.

"You can sleep to the car if the ground is uncomfortable." He added as he slept the moment he lay down.

"Good night Naruto Uzumaki." Viper said as she looked at the blonde's sleeping form.

'Thank you for the hope you have given me.' The purple haired mage said as she too went to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Naruto opened his eyes as he once again found himself in a too familiar darkness.<em>

_"This place again." He said as he started walking around the pitch black darkness._

_"I can't see anything. Is anyone here?" The blond yelled as his voice echoed in the emptiness. Suddenly, he heard someone screaming in the distance._

_"Shit!" Naruto exclaimed as he started running towards the sound of the scream._

_"Hold on! I'm coming!" The blond yelled as the scream was getting more intense. However, he started feeling like he was slowing down, his limbs becoming heavier with every step._

_"What's going on?" Naruto asked as a blurry vision appeared in front of him. There was a giant beast and a white haired figure which was too familiar for Naruto, even though it was still blurry._

_"No. No. No. STOP IT!" The blond yelled as the beast smashed the figure to the ground._

* * *

><p>"STOP!" Naruto yelled as he shot up from the ground. The blond was panting heavily as he looked around.<p>

"It's still night." He said as he got up.

'That dream wasn't like any other dream I've been having lately. It was clearer, more intense.' Naruto thought as he remembered the last time he saw Mira.

_"I'll go with Elfman and Lisanna to take down the infamous Beast that's been terrorizing Northern Fiore."_

'That's what I was dreaming all this time. I have to move fast.' The wind mage thought as he started gathering his stuff and putting them in the car. As he was clearing the fire place, he heard a voice behind him speaking.

"Isn't that a bit too early to wake up?" Viper said as he hopped off the magic vehicle.

"I'm in a hurry. I have to reach Northern Fiore as fast as I can." Naruto said as he kept packaging.

"I'm coming with you." The purple haired woman said as she helped him with the last stuff.

"It will be too dangerous." Naruto said. The blond turned to face Viper.

"And you expect me to just let you go alone?" The purple haired woman said with a determined expression.

Naruto sighed as he closed his eyes.

"Fine. Just promise that you won't put yourself at risk, ok? I didn't fight with the rune knights for nothing." Naruto said when he opened his eyes.

"What do you think I am? A helpless girl?" Viper said with a smirk.

"Whatever, let's go!" The blond said as he jumped on the driver's seat and started the car.

* * *

><p>"So where exactly are we going?" Viper asked as Naruto was using the vehicle's maximum capabilities.<p>

"Do you know the infamous Beast?" The blond said, not taking his eyes off the road.

"It's been terrorizing the north for quite some time." Viper said before her eyes widened as she stared at the blond.

"Wait a minute. Don't tell me…" She said in shock.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do! I can't let my nightmare come true. Hold on to something." Naruto said as he pressed forward. Viper looked ahead to see a big gap ahead of them.

"Naruto? You are not going to do what I think you will, right?" The purple haired mage said.

"I said hold on to something!" The blond said once again as he sped up. The magic vehicle jumped from the cliff, gaining height as Viper was holding her seat.

"HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" The poison mage shouted as the car landed on the other side.

A couple of hours after that, the two mages found themselves at the town of Elvedurn. Naruto got out of the magic vehicle to see the town in flames.

"Oh god!" The blond exclaimed. "The Beast passed from here. Let's hurry!" He said as he jumped down towards the town.

"Wait!" Viper said as she followed the blond. They ran around the burning city when Naruto turned to his right when he heard a voice.

"There are still people in there!" A woman shouted as Naruto looked at a big building which looked to be on the verge of destruction.

"What's going on here?" He said as he ran towards the building.

"The Leaf Hurricane is here! Thank goodness." An old lady said as the woman pointed at the building.

"Two children are still trapped on the top floor. Everyone is trying to save in whatever way they can but the children are at the top floor." She said.

Without uttering a word the blond leapt at a broken window and got inside the building.

"Is anyone here?" He shouted as he cautiously walked through the fire.

"HELP! HELP!" The wind mage heard as he started going towards the sound of the voices.

"Help is on the way! Hold on!" Naruto shouted as he found himself facing a door.

"Be careful! I'm about to break the door!" The blond yelled as he moved a few steps back.

"Hurry! My brother is starting to faint!" One of the kids said as Naruto broke the door with a kick. He then got in as he ran towards the children.

"Come on! I'll get both of you out!" He said as the children ran to him. When Naruto was sure that they were holding him tightly, he hugged them and jumped as the floor collapsed. The blond came out of a wave of fire as he landed on the ground and released the children.

"Mama!" They both yelled as they ran towards the woman who opened her arms and hugged them tightly.

"My babies! Thank you sir!" She said to Naruto.

"Ma'am! Everyone in the east part of the town is safe now. Fortunately there are no casualties." A young man said as he bowed to the old lady.

"And the mages from Fairy Tail?" She asked, gaining the blonde's attention.

"They are fighting the Beast ma'am." The young man said. Naruto's eyes widened as he turned to Viper.

"Help with the evacuations! I'm heading to the Beast!" The blond said.

"But…"

"The people's safety comes first. You wanted to help, didn't you?" Naruto cut the purple haired girl's protest as he dashed towards the Beast's location with his comrades in mind.

'I hope I'm not late.'

* * *

><p>Mira stared in shock, her eyes not being able to comprehend what just happened in front of her as the Beast pummeled Lisanna.<p>

"LISANNA!" The white haired girl yelled as her sister was thrown inside the forest.

"No way. This can't be happening. It's only a dream, a very bad dream." She said to herself as the Beast was approaching her.

"It can't be happening. Lisanna." She kept saying, obviously panicked. The Beast was about to pummel her as well when someone went past her and blocked the Beast's heavy hand.

"TAICHO NO SHI-RUDO!" Naruto yelled as he blocked the strike with a round blue metal shield with a red star in the middle.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!" The blond yelled as he pushed back the Beast with the shield. He then kneeled in front of Mira.

"Oi Mira! Snap out of it!" He said as he grabbed the white haired girl from the shoulders.

"Naruto? How did you get here?" Mira said as she looked up at the blonde's face.

"That's not important right now." Naruto said before he abruptly hugged Mira and jumped back as the Beast attacked them one more time.

"Grrr, this is bad. Where are Elfman and Lisanna?" The blond said as he put Mira down. The take over mage didn't answer, but instead pointed at the Beast which was watching them with a feral look. Naruto narrowed his eyes to get a closer look at the Beast before his eyes widened.

"No. It can't be him!" He said as Mira nodded.

"I was careless. Elfman tried to save me by using take over on the Beast. However, he couldn't control it and Lisanna paid the price." The white haired girl said.

'My nightmare came true then.' Naruto thought as he lowered his head. 'And Mira is on the verge of breaking down. What do I do? I must stop Elfman somehow, but he now has the Beast's strength and I'm not 100%.'

'Still.' He added as he got up. 'I have to save my comrades no matter the cost.'

"I can still feel her." Naruto said as he looked towards the forest. "It's faint, but Lisanna is still alive!"

Mira perked up at what the blond as she groggily got up.

"Are you sure?" She said to the blond who nodded.

"She's somewhere in the beginning of the forest. Go to her, I'll try to bring Elfman to his senses." The wind mage said as he balled his fists. Mira nodded before she went towards the forest.

'She would never just do what I told her to. Mira.' Naruto thought as he looked at her retreating form.

"Now." He said as he backflipped in order to dodge a tree trunk that the Beast threw him. "I'm about to knock some sense to you, you hear me Elfman!?"

The Beast stopped for a moment before it ran once again towards the blond.

"GRRRRR!" It yelled as Naruto dashed at it as well.

"Snap out of it you idiot!" The blond yelled as he gathered wind magic in his hand.

"KAZERYU NO JINKEN!" The wind mage yelled as his fist met the Beast's, sending a sound wave around. Naruto then unleashed a barrage of fists at the Beast which barely managed to make it skid back.

"That bastard is tough." The blond said as he jumped back.

"TATSUMAKI!" He yelled as he span towards the Beast, creating a tornado that smacked straight in the Beast's chest. However, the Beast managed to stop the attack by grabbing Naruto from the shoulders. It then proceeded to jump high in the air and plant the blond to the ground with a piledriver.

"GAH!" The blond exclaimed as he got out of the hole that the piledriver created. The moment he raised his head however, he got a punch in his injured abdomen. The blond spat blood as he was sent back.

"Shit! I'm gonna have to use whatever magic is left within me in order to stop him." Naruto said as he skidded back.

"Elfman! It's me, Naruto! Your sisters are in danger! Control the Beast damn it!" The wind mage yelled. This time, his yelling seemed to have some effect on the Beast which stopped its charge.

"I'll apologize for that later Elfman, but I have no other choice!" Naruto yelled as he gathered wind in both of his hands, his eyes turning white.

"Fūjin is my guardian, his will is my strength!" The wind mage yelled as he slammed his hands while the magic seal appeared in front of them.

"GEKIDOU TAIFUU!" He yelled as he launched a typhoon straight at the Beast, consuming him completely as the ground was shaken from the attack. As the smoke cleared, the Beast was revealed on the ground, glowing as the take over was cancelled.

"Hah, hah, hah. Good. I did it." Naruto said as he slowly went towards the forest.

'This attack could kill Elfman if I was at full power. More importantly, what's happening with Mira and Lisanna.' The blond thought as he held his abdomen which was soaked in blood.

The blond just barely saw a broken Mira crying over a Lisanna which was fading away as if disappearing from the face of Earth before he fell to the ground, the excessive use of magic causing him to faint.

* * *

><p>"I've brought you new bandages baachan."<p>

"Thank you Elie. His bandages have already been wrecked by the blood. Bring me those herbs dear."

"What happened to him baachan?"

"This young lad fought the Beast my dear. He and his companions saved us two days ago."

"Look baachan, he is stirring."

Naruto opened his eyes as he looked at the roof.

'Where am I?' The blond thought.

'The others!' He thought as he abruptly shot up from his bed. He immediately felt the sharp pain of his injuries and realized that his entire upper body and head was covered in bandages.

"Easy there young man, you'll open your wounds again." An old woman said.

"Where am I?" The blond asked as he realized that he was in a tent where an old lady and a young girl with brown hair looked at him.

"We are in a camp outside Elvedurn." The old woman answered. Naruto ignored the pain that he felt and got up.

"What about my comrades?" He said as he took a cup of water that was near him.

"The girl with the purple hair is tending to the injured. As for the Fairy Tail mages…" The old woman said but cut her sentence in the middle and looked to the ground.

"Where are they? Tell me!" Naruto said.

"They are at the place where they fought the Beast." Was all the woman said.

"Thank you." Naruto said as he ran outside the tent.

"Poor kids." The old woman said with a somber expression.

* * *

><p>Naruto walked through the camp as he looked left and right.<p>

'This camp is as big as the town itself was.' The blond thought as he heard a familiar voice.

"Bon, be careful on how to apply these herbs. Too much portion will make the patient feel excessive pain." Viper said as she ran around, giving instructions to the people on how to tend the injured.

"Viper?" Naruto said in surprise as the purple haired woman noticed him.

"Naruto! You are up, thank goodness." She said as she approached him.

"What are you doing here?" The blond said.

"I'm using my knowledge of medicine for good. These people are in need of an expert." The poison mage said as she wept the sweat from her forehead.

"The entire town is in ruins. The people have lost all hope. So I'm trying to bring their hope back." She added.

"You found a way to help people huh?" Naruto said as a smile appeared under the bandages.

"And they are going to need me for some time Naruto. I'm afraid I won't be able to come with you to Magnolia." Viper said in an apologetic tone.

"It's ok. It's as you said, those people need you." The blond said as he put his hand on the purple haired woman's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we will meet again. See ya." He added before he moved outside the camp.

"Yeah, we definitely will." Viper whispered to herself with a smile.

* * *

><p>The blond was on his way to the hills when he saw Mira and Elfman walking past him.<p>

"Oh, hey Naruto." Elfman said, his voice lacking the usual vigor.

"Hi guys." Naruto said as he looked at them. They both looked beat up and shaken and Mira's left arm was tied.

"We were about to check up on you and go back to the guild." Mira said.

'They shed a lot of tears already. What is there for me to do to comfort them when they just lost their little sister?' Naruto thought.

"I'll go get my car. It's going to be less tiring this way." He said as he moved to give them more time.

"Naruto." Elfman said, making the blond turn.

"Thank you, for stopping me back then." The white haired teen said.

"Don't mention it." Naruto said with a soft smile.

* * *

><p>"Are they here yet?" Natsu asked as he entered the guild.<p>

"Not yet Natsu. Laxus just returned and went to the second floor." Erza said as she was sitting at the bar.

"That Naruto, he sure is taking his time." Cana said as she was wiping a glass.

"Aye." Happy said.

"Come to think of it, why didn't he return with Laxus?" Gray said.

"No idea. Laxus didn't say a word." The brunette said. Suddenly Natsu looked at the still opened door.

"What is it Natsu?" Macao asked.

"There's no mistaking it. They are back!" The dragon slayer said as he rushed outside. The others looked in surprise before they followed him in a quieter pace.

Natsu narrowed his eyes as he noticed three figures approaching. Soon after, Mira, Elfman and Naruto were at the guild's doorstep with everyone waiting.

"Welcome back!" Natsu and Happy enthusiastically said. However, Erza noticed the state of the three mages.

"What happened?" She said, alerting the rest of the Fairy Tail mages.

"Where is Lisanna?" Natsu asked, his previous enthusiasm vanishing in moments. Mira broke in tears as she fell to the ground, confirming the dragon slayer's fears.

"No." He said as the rest realized what happened. Elfman, as well as the other mages, succumbed to their grief.

"Huh? Where is Naruto?" Cana said as she realized that the blond had vanished.

* * *

><p>While everyone was grieving, the blond used this opportunity to run to the back of the guild. As he was standing alone, he finally let the tears that he was holding all this time fall as he removed the bandages from his face.<p>

"If only I was faster." Naruto muttered as he punched the wall.

"Damn it! Damn it!" He exclaimed before his eyes widened.

'This is the same magic I felt at the trials!' He thought as he recognized the magic power. The blond rushed to the scene where he saw the same hooded person from before holding two stuffs.

As he cancelled his magic and sighed, the blond tackled him to the ground.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked as the man's hood fell, revealing spiky blue hair and a too familiar mark around the right eye.

"Siegrain?" The blond said in shock as he got off the man.

"I am not the man you know, though the similarities are obvious." The man said as he removed his half mask.

"Like you Naruto Uzumaki, I am from a different world. Unlike yours however, my world is linked to this world. My name is Mystogan." The blue haired man added.

Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at Mystogan.

"How do you know that?" The blond said as Mystogan put his mask back to his face.

"I can tell that you are not from this world as your magic fells different. In my world, the people have no magic so I can safely say that you are not from there either."

"Your world?"

"That's a story for another time." Mystogan said as he started moving.

"It's about to rain. I suggest you find shelter." He added before he vanished, leaving Naruto alone to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>A couple of days passed. Ever since their return to the guild, no one went to any missions as they were grieving for Lisanna. On the fourth day, everyone went to the cathedral in the morning for the youngest of the take over siblings' funeral.<p>

Naruto stood there, his usual outfit replaced by a black shirt, pants and sandals and hhe was wearing a simple half face mask.

'Even the sky is weeping.' The blond thought as it hadn't stopped raining ever since they returned.

After the funeral was over, the Fairy Tail mages returned to the guild. Naruto, however, silently left. Mira and Natsu noticed his retreating form as they both remembered his parting words.

_"What? You are leaving?" Natsu said in surprise as the blond nodded._

_"Yes. I need a break." The wind mage said as Mira looked at him in shock._

_"I can't lose you now Naruto! Not you too." The white haired girl said as Naruto gave them a grin._

_"I need some time to myself. There are some things that I need to think about. Don't worry guys; I'll be back before you even notice that I'm gone."_

Natsu went to move but Mira stopped him.

"Naruto is hurting like us. Let him go." The white haired girl said with a sad smile.

* * *

><p>The blond stood on top of a hill as he stared at Magnolia.<p>

"Going somewhere?" He heard as he turned to see Cana leaning on a tree.

"Can't escape from you huh?" Naruto said as the brunette winked at him.

"So you really are going to leave." She said in a more serious tone.

"Yeah. You be good, ok?" Naruto said as he hugged the brunette.

"When am I not?" Cana teased as she returned the hug.

After they broke the hug, Naruto left the city.

'I'll be back to protect you. That's a promise.'

* * *

><p><strong><span>Author's Note:<span>**** And that concludes the original part of my story. A true overkill, over five thousand and a half words chapter, I might say. That last part now, it was pretty tough to actually have to write this scene but I wanted to give Naruto another drive to get stronger, not to mention the 'Fairy Tail pain' that Mira mentioned to Lucy. And before you start flaming me, Naruto was tired and injured from his mission and the excessive use of the magic vehicle, that's why he struggled so hard. Then again, Elfman probably just fainted due to excessive magic use in canon so we don't know if Mira could actually beat him, just saying.**

**Kitsunedragon asked for the explanations of Naruto's techniques in the previous chapter, so here they are:**

**Tatsumaki: Tornado  
>Kaze Bure-do: Wind Blade<br>Kazeryu No Jinken: Wind Dragon's Swift Fist  
>Kaze Bakufuu: Wind Blast<br>Paamu Sutoraiki: Palm Strike  
>Senpuu: Hurricane<br>Kaze Dangan: Wind Bullets  
>Kaze Bure-do Entei: Wind Blades Barrage<br>Tekiatsu: Cyclone  
>Kazeryu No Gekidou Bakufuu: Wind Dragon's Raging Blast<br>Hitoshirezu Kenjutsu: Kazeryu No Rendan: Hidden Sword Technique: Wind Dragon's Barrage  
>Gekidou Taifuu: Raging Typhoon<strong>

**Hope that helps my friend.**

**Now I have an announcement to make. In two months time I'll be taking a break from writing for half a year due to having to prepare for my entry exams. Yes, I'm going to need six months to prepare properly if I want to succeed this time. So I'll stop this story at this point for now since I reached a good part. Maybe I'm going to try my luck in different fandoms during October, I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.**

**See ya later people.**


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